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The European Commission says Turkey’s accession negotiations to the European Union have reached a dead end due to the weakening of its economy, the contraction of democracy and the destruction of its independent courts. Turkey responds by saying that the European Commission report is biased and unconstructive.
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Turkey: The European Commission report is biased and we affirm our commitment to join the Union
The European Commission said Tuesday that “the Turkish government is undermining its economy, reducing democracy and destroying independent courts, making its attempt to join the European Union further than ever.”
The Commission, the executive body of the European Union, blamed the deterioration of the situation in the areas of freedom of expression, prisons and the central bank on the “excessive centralization” of presidential authority, and said that “the government is also exposing Turkey to rapid changes in investor sentiment. “
The Commission added in its annual report on Turkey that the latter “did not reliably address the serious concerns of the European Union regarding continued negative developments in the rule of law, fundamental rights and the judiciary.”
He said that “Turkey’s accession negotiations to the European Union have reached a dead end.”
NATO member Turkey has been negotiating its accession to the European Union since 2005 after economic and political reforms that made it an important trading partner and emerging market.
Although the talks were by no means easy due to Turkey’s disputed demands on Cyprus, they quickly collapsed after the attempted coup in Turkey in July 2016. The Commission said: “The dangerous decline observed in Turkey since the attempted coup of Status 2016. ‘
Turkey then faced scathing reports from the commission over the years, and the commission again intensified its criticism, citing monetary policy, public administration and rampant corruption as failures of the Turkish government.
For its part, Turkey described the European Commission report as “biased and unconstructive”, saying that “Ankara rejects criticism of its economy, democracy and courts, and remains committed to the process of accession to the European Union.”
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that parts of the report on tensions in the eastern Mediterranean tarnished the commission’s reputation for objectivity, adding that “Ankara is acting in accordance with democratic standards and international law.” .
The ministry added: “We sincerely hope that the European Union does not view the candidate country of Turkey through the limited and selfish interests of some circles, but rather through the greater and common interests of our continent and our common vision.”
Brussels reiterated its threat to impose economic sanctions on Ankara over an energy dispute in the eastern Mediterranean.
European Union leaders agreed last week to consider imposing sanctions on Turkey if it continues to explore for oil and gas in waters over which Greece and Cyprus claim sovereignty.
“In the event of new unilateral actions or provocations that violate international law, the European Union will use all available tools and options,” the report said.
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