ABTTF president: European values must apply to EU member states as well as candidate countries
Halit Habip Oğlu says the European Commission’s focus on minority rights in Albania highlights what he describes as a double standard in the EU’s approach, pointing to the treatment of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace in Greece and the non-implementation of European Court of Human Rights rulings.
The European Commission’s 2026 Enlargement Package has renewed debate over the European Union’s approach to minority rights, following the presentation of the country progress reports by Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos to the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, 4 November.
The Commission’s report on Albania highlighted the need to respect the rights of the Greek minority and uphold the rule of law. It also pointed to significant delays in compensation payments related to property rights.
The report noted that the European Commission has linked Greece’s support for Albania’s EU accession to respect for the rights of the Greek minority and the rule of law. While Albania’s legal framework for the protection of minorities is generally considered to be in line with European standards, the report identified continuing concerns, including discrimination against members of the Greek minority, difficulties in freely expressing their identity and shortcomings in the protection of property rights.
ABTTF CRITICISES EU'S APPROACH TO MINORITY RIGHTS
Commenting on the report, Halit Habip Oğlu, president of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), argued that the EU applies what he described as a double standard in its approach to minority rights.
He said the obligations demanded of candidate countries should also apply equally to existing EU member states.
Habip Oğlu argued that the Commission’s emphasis on the rights of the Greek minority in Albania once again raised questions about the consistency of the EU’s approach, particularly regarding Greece.
“However, the EU does not demonstrate the same sensitivity and determination when it comes to certain existing member states where serious problems concerning minority rights persist, particularly our own country, Greece. Greece’s denial of the Turkish identity of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace, the closure of our associations or rejection of their registration applications because their names contain the word ‘Turkish’, and the failure to implement, even after many years, the European Court of Human Rights rulings against our country concerning our associations all raise questions about the consistency between the EU’s rhetoric on minority rights and respect for the rule of law and its actual practices,” he said.
'THE SAME STANDARDS MUST APPLY TO ALL EU COUNTRIES'
Habip Oğlu stressed that EU membership should not be regarded as a privilege that exempts member states from their obligations concerning minority rights and the rule of law.
He concluded:
“EU membership cannot be seen as a privilege that exempts member states, including our own country, from their obligations in this regard. If European values are universal, they must apply to candidate countries as well as to member states, including our own. The same legal standards and the same human and minority rights criteria must apply to everyone, not double standards.”
