Ankara blasts the European Fee report as primarily based on ‘unfair criticisms and baseless claims’.
The European Union’s government physique has stated that Turkey’s bid to hitch the bloc had “come to a standstill” amid critical democratic shortfalls in its annual report, which was slammed by the Turkish international ministry as making “baseless claims”.
The European Fee stated within the report printed on Tuesday that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s authorities had overseen a continued erosion of democracy and the rule of regulation and had ignored the EU’s suggestions final yr.
The report additionally advised for the primary time that Ankara was not critical about delivering on EU-backed reforms, despite the fact that Erdogan recommitted in April to the objective of full EU membership as each side tried to enhance relations.
“The EU’s critical considerations on the continued deterioration of democracy, the rule of regulation, elementary rights and the independence of the judiciary haven’t been addressed. There was additional backsliding in lots of areas,” the Fee stated.
“Underneath the present circumstances, Turkey’s accession negotiations have successfully come to a standstill,” it stated.
Turkey’s international ministry stated the report confirmed a “double-standard method” by the EU and rejected the “unfair criticisms and baseless claims”. It accused the bloc of failing to maintain its guarantees to Turkey and of not fulfilling its duties.
“Turkey maintains within the strongest phrases its strategic selection of full EU membership,” the ministry stated in an announcement.
“It will be in everybody’s curiosity if the EU, bearing in mind our frequent basic pursuits, sees Turkey as a candidate nation that’s negotiating, not as a companion with whom to have each day give-take relations.”
A NATO ally, Turkey has been negotiating its EU membership since 2005 after financial and political reforms that made it an necessary rising market economic system and commerce companion.
However since Erdogan’s hardline response to an tried coup in July 2016, the paths of EU and Turkey have diverged sharply, regardless of higher diplomatic relations for the reason that begin of 2021.
A purge of opponents launched in mid-2016 continues, the report stated, noting “broad-scale restrictions imposed on the actions of journalists, writers, attorneys, lecturers, human rights defenders and significant voices”.
Ankara stated its safety measures are needed, given the severity of the threats going through Turkey, which shares land borders with Iraq and Syria.
Erdogan’s improve of presidential powers from 2017, which the EU stated lack enough democratic checks, and his extra forceful international coverage, have additionally badly strained relations.
In its 2021 report, the Fee questioned Turkey’s “potential to imagine the obligations of membership” and stated Ankara pursued reforms in areas from the economic system to rule of regulation “on a moderately advert hoc foundation”.
It’s for the EU’s 27 member states, not the Fee, to resolve whether or not Turkey’s EU membership bid must be formally annulled. Many consider they need to nudge Turkey into a distinct, looser relationship primarily based round deeper commerce ties.