Brussels-Sana
The European Commission confirmed today that Turkey has failed to join the European Union and its attempts have reached a dead end.
In its annual report, which is considered the most critical of the Turkish regime since Ankara began talks to join the bloc 16 years ago, the commission explained that the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "oversees a continuous narrowing of the space for democracy and the rule of law and ignores the recommendations of the European Union last year."
The report indicated, according to Reuters, that "Ankara is not serious in carrying out the reforms supported by the European Union, despite Erdogan's recommitment last April to the goal of obtaining full membership of the bloc at a time when the two sides tried to improve the strained relations."
The Commission said, "It did not address the European Union's serious concerns about the continued deterioration of democracy, the rule of law, basic rights and the independence of the judiciary," stressing that "in the current circumstances, Turkey's accession negotiations have reached a virtual dead end."
Ankara's attempts to join the European Union are facing wide European criticism as a result of the Turkish regime's repressive practices, its lack of respect for public freedoms and its failure to meet European standards, especially in the field of human rights. The campaign of arrests and dismissals launched by Erdogan under the pretext of the attempted coup in Turkey raised tensions between Ankara and Brussels.