How can the European Union effectively protect its own interests and strengthen its position in the international arena without giving up on its values? That is the crucial question facing the EU decision makers. There is already talk that the EU will give up putting pressure on Turkey in connection with human rights violations. Is the EU is sacrificing democracy, also in the relations with other countries such as Russia and China?

The president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is already taking advantage of the odds in his favour and at his recent visit to Brussels suggested not to address human rights and the Kurds. And the recent decisions by the EU seem to confirm that the Commission has acceded to this suggestion.

For instance, Brussels has put aside the publication of a critical report on the state of democracy in Turkey. President Erdoğan did not want the report to come to light before the November elections in Turkey. The report will now be published only after the elections.

Even though EU politicians do not seem to praise the state of democracy in Turkey, they also pretend as if there no problem at all, though. How could the recent visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Turkey be explained otherwise?

More and more EU member states now envisage the possibility of recognizing Turkey as a safe country, which Ankara strives for. In practice, that would mean that the EU would examine asylum applications of Turkish citizens, especially those of the Kurds, with much more hesitation. And in exchange the EU could send illegal immigrants back to Turkey.

EU-Turkey cooperation on migration crisis

Many diplomats admit that Turkey does not meet criteria of a safe country, because it does not respect human rights. But it cannot be excluded that the EU will have to close its eyes as a closer cooperation between the EU and Turkey is unavoidable, believes Thorsten Benner from the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin.

“EU institutions and EU countries realize they need cooperation of Turkey and for that they are willing to forego some of the criticism. And that has always been the case with any foreign policy of any country, that is the case with the European Union. In particular if you need to negotiate with countries while you have some complaints on the human rights situation, but at the same time you are dependent on the cooperation, then there needs to be some balancing. And the EU’s doing that, not cheerfully, but in this particular case I think it is unavoidable. At the same time, of course, the EU should not forget about its values and the problems that are going on in Turkey,” Benner said.

It has not been the first time that the EU has softened criticism of those countries who violate human rights. The EU leaders do not always address human rights at the meetings with the representatives of Russia or China, for example – they prefer to talk about business.

Fear of economic retaliation by China

Currently the EU is celebrating the 40th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations with China, which is playing an increasingly important role in the region. And without good relations with China, the EU will not mean much in Asia.

Jonathan Holslag from the Brussels Institute of Contemporary China Studies claims that human rights issues are not a priority for the EU, not even on second thought.

“It is certainly true, many Europeans leaders are scared at this moment to talk about human rights and they are afraid for economic retaliation, that they will not attract Chinese investment any more. I think it also reflects to a degree a stage of doubt and hesitation at the level of European politicians about their own values. Many politicians question whether, for instance, democracy and human rights are that important. At this moment the instruction is ‘let’s focus on commerce, on business and forget about all the rest,’ so I really do not expect that the EU is again going to be more serious about human rights and politics,” Holslag said.

Human rights organizations are outraged

Every time that Brussels is visited by the representatives of countries where human rights are violated, human rights organizations stand up for human rights and call for governments to do the same.

But Russia and China are just examples, the problem is wider, says Iverna McGowan from Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office in Brussels.

“Unfortunately there has been a tendency even in the last three years, a decreasing tendency to stand away from talking about human rights, to talk about how difficult it is, how awkward it is to put the human rights situation on the table,” McGowan said.

The EU has fallen into a trap – it is expecting that it will play a bigger role in the international arena. But to prevent other countries from overtaking it, the community will have to abandon its mission of democratization.

Some commentators point out that the EU needs to change and adapt its position to the dynamics of the situation. The EU cannot set radical conditions – either you become a democrat or we do not do business with you. Only 25 percent of countries in the world have democracy.

So if the EU keeps insisting on democratizing other countries, they may turn towards other international players which do not set such conditions.

Nowadays, the EU is facing another challenge – what is it going to do with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad who has blood on his hands? Will he have a guaranteed peaceful future? Will his people take part in talks on a transitional government?

The Syrian question may become the litmus test for the future of the EU’s foreign policy.