EU says Turkey's EU membership negotiations have come to a standstill

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EU says Turkey's EU membership negotiations have come to a standstill

European Union U and Turkish flags fly in the business and financial district of Levent in Istanbul, Turkey September 4, 2017. Reuters, Oct 19 - Oct 19 : The European Union executive said on Tuesday that the Bilateral Agreement had come to a standstill amid serious political shortfalls in its most critical annual report since Ankara began membership talks 16 years ago.

The European Commission says Tayyip Erdogan's government has continued erosion of democracy and the rule of law and ignored the EU's recommendations last year.

The report also suggested for the first time that Ankara was no longer serious about delivering on EU-backed reforms, although Erdogan in April recommitted to the goal of full EU membership as both sides tried to improve strained relations.

The EU's serious concern on the continuing deterioration of democracy, the rule of law, the fundamental rights and independence of the judiciary has not been addressed by the EU. The commission says there was further backsliding in many areas.

Under the present circumstances, Turkey's accession negotiations have effectively come to a standstill, it said.

There was no immediate response from Ankara to the report. In the past Turkey has said that EU criticism is unfair of its record in Turkey disproportionate.

For NATO ally, Turkey has been negotiating its EU membership since 2005 after the economic and political reforms which made it an important emerging market economy and trade partner.

But since Erdogan's hardline response to an attempt to intervene in July 2016 the paths of EU and Turkey diverged sharply despite better diplomatic relations since 2021.

A purge of opponents continued in mid-2016, the report said, noting broad restrictions imposed on the activities of journalists, writers, lawyers, academics, human rights defenders and critical voices Ankara says its security measures are necessary given the severe threat facing Turkey, which shares land borders with Iraq and Syria.

Erdogan's increase of presidential powers from 2017, which the EU says lack sufficient security checks, and his more forceful foreign policy, have also negatively affected relations within the bloc and at NATO.

In its 2021 report, the Commission defied Turkey's ability to assume the obligations of membership and said Ankara pursued reforms in areas from economy to rule of law on a rather ad hoc basis. It is for the EU members, not the Commission, to determine whether Turkey should annull the EU Member country Bielefeld s EU membership bid formally? Many believe that they should nudge Turkey into a different, looser relationship based around deeper trade ties.