The process of Turkey’s accession to the EU cannot resume under the current circumstances, despite the democratic and pro-European aspirations of a significant part of Turkish society, according to a report adopted on Wednesday by the European Parliament (EP).
The report was approved by 367 MEPs, with 74 against and 188 abstentions.
“MEPs are deeply concerned about the continuing deterioration of democratic standards in Turkey and the relentless suppression of critical voices. They condemn the harsh crackdown on recent peaceful mass protests and the persecution of hundreds of protesters through rushed mass trials without any evidence of criminal offences,” the EP said in a statement following the debate at its plenary session in Strasbourg.
According to the report, “the Turkish government has failed to address fundamental democratic shortcomings” that are necessary for the process of accession to the European Union.
According to the document, the Turkish authorities “are pushing the country further towards a fully authoritarian model.”
The report states that EU membership depends on the fulfilment of certain accession criteria, such as “stable institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights, respect for and protection of minorities, good neighbourly relations, respect for international law and alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy.”
These are absolute criteria, EU parliamentarians remind us. “The criteria for EU membership are not negotiable,” the report stresses.
The European Parliament called on the Turkish authorities, EU institutions and member states to continue working towards “a closer, more dynamic and strategic partnership with a particular focus on action to combat climate change, energy security, co-operation in the fight against terrorism and regional stability.”
In December 1999, the European Council recognised Turkey as a candidate country for EU membership. In October 2005, negotiations on the country’s accession to the European Union began. In 2018, the EU Council stated that these negotiations had been suspended. “The negotiations have effectively reached a dead end,” the council document said.
