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Centre for Applied Turkey Studies (CATS)

The Centre for Applied Turkey Studies (CATS) analyses political and social developments in Turkey and the relations between Turkey and Europe. Its tailored formats and products supply information to relevant political decision-makers and the public in Germany and Europe. CATS also creates confidential venues for informal exchanges between important actors.

CATS aims to provide inputs for shaping long-term relations with Turkey, to contribute to strategy-driven and coherent Turkey policy of the EU and its member states, and to help place the relationship on realistic foundations. Turkey is thus perceived as an actor with pronounced regional and sometimes global aspirations.

CATS acts as a hub and curator of an international network of European and Turkish think tanks and research institutions (CATS Network). This common framework fosters exchanges between experts on Turkey from different countries, and thus provides the ground for discussing the EU’s future relationship with Turkey. CATS collaborates with its network partners and distributes project funding and scholarships.

CATS research priorities:

  • Turkey’s medium-term development and domestic dynamics
  • The EU and NATO as a framework of action for Turkish foreign and security policy
  • Turkey as a regional actor: MENA, Caucasus, Central Asia, Africa

With its broad foreign policy expertise, CATS at SWP is well-placed to ensure that the regional and global dynamics that shape Turkish politics are always taken into consideration.

The Centre for Applied Turkey Studies (CATS) is funded by Stiftung Mercator and the Federal Foreign Office.