Selv om religionsfriheden er garanteret i Den Tyrkiske Republiks forfatning, hvilket Kommissionen har understreget i sin regelmæssige rapport fra 2004, bliver der imidlertid stadig lagt hindringer i vejen for ikke-muslimske religiøse samfund, herunder Det Økumeniske Patriarkat, og de underlægges bureaukratiske regler.
Although religious freedom is guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey, as indicated by the European Commission in its 2004 Regular Report, non-Muslim religious communities, including the Ecumenical Patriarchate, continue, however, to encounter obstacles and are subject to a bureaucratic regime.