Turkey in the EU?

Tough announcement to Erdogan - "Setbacks are deeply worrying"

Created: 12/14/2021, 10:58 PM

The EU Council of Ministers has sharply criticized Turkey for the situation under President Erdogan.

© Xinhua / imago

The EU Council of Ministers is putting a stop to new accession negotiations with Turkey and choosing more than clear words in its justification.

Brussels - The ice age continues to rule between the European Union * and Turkey;

the accession negotiations remain frozen.

The Council of Ministers * in Brussels decided on Tuesday (December 14th) unanimously.

The accompanying statement reads gloomy: "The Council notes with regret that Turkey is moving further and further away from the European Union."

Neither the opening nor the closing of further negotiation chapters can be considered, the statement said.

The European Union has a number of points of criticism.

Turkish foreign policy under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan * is increasingly colliding with the EU's priorities.

Accession negotiations with Turkey remain on hold - that's what the EU denounces

The case of Libya is cited as an example, where government troops are said to have received illegal arms deliveries from Turkey.

The Council of Ministers also denounces Turkey's violations of customs union agreements with the EU.

On the subject of democracy, human rights and fundamental rights, the Council of Ministers reiterated the known allegations.

The further setbacks in these areas are "deeply worrying," the statement said.

This also applies to freedom of expression and the lack of independence of the judiciary.

Civil society and its organizations would have to act under sustained pressure in an increasingly difficult environment.

Turkey: Accession negotiations have been paused for years - that's why they haven't ended yet

The EU accession negotiations with Turkey * have been running since 2005. They have been on hold for several years because of the unsatisfactory developments in the country from a Brussels perspective.

One of the reasons why the talks have not yet been finally concluded is the importance of the country in the fight against illegal migration to Western Europe.

Turkey should therefore continue to benefit from EU financial aid in the future.

Further EU support for refugees and host communities will be ensured in good time, according to the statement on Tuesday.