Türkiye’s Harmonization With the EU’s Maritime Policies: An Analysis in the Framework of the EU Country Reports Between 2018 and 2023

This study addresses Türkiye’s policies in the maritime sector to evaluate their compliance with European Union (EU) maritime policies. Maritime transport serves as a catalyst for the economic development and prosperity of the EU. The EU adopts a maritime transport policy that is environmentally friendly, sustainable, fair, and developed within the framework of competition rules, requiring international cooperation and coordination, as well as integration with digital systems. Türkiye is a candidate state for EU membership, which means that it is supposed to converge its policies to those of the EU and make required harmonization in its national legislation. Therefore, Türkiye must develop policies and align its legislation in the maritime sector with the EU’s policies in this domain. In this context, the study, utilizing a document-based analysis in a qualitative research approach, aims to investigate the current level of Türkiye’s alignment with EU maritime policies. This is achieved by examining the EU country reports published by the European Commission between 2018 and 2023. The study concludes with findings and recommendations regarding Türkiye’s adherence to EU maritime policy, particularly in the areas of international agreements, marine safety, environmental protection, legislation, digitalization, and port management.