The EU's reaction to the migration crisis of 2015-16 was to shower the Turkish government with gifts to secure their cooperation on the Aegean crossing. This led to accusations of realpolitik after Brussels made concessions to Turkey despite Ankara's liberal democratic deficit. This article examines EU policy before, during and after the migration crisis to argue that the situation is more nuanced than this suggests. Turkey-EU accession had been in a state of containment for nearly a decade before the migration issue. Brussels' reaction to it raised questions about the EU's liberal identity but Brussels backtracked quickly once the extent of illiberality following the attempted coup d'etat emerged. Turkey-EU relations then returned to a pre-migration state of containment whereby Turkey remains a candidate but progress towards accession depends on their liberal progress. Using realist constructivism, it concludes the EU's liberal democratic standards remain, but the liberal bar is pliable according to circumstances.
