EU commissioner: Talks on Turkey’s accession to EU stalled

EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi says negotiations on Turkey’s accession to the European Union have been stalled since Ankara has failed to comply with the bloc’s standards on human rights.

“Turkey has continued to move away from the EU, this is why accession negotiations with Turkey remain at a standstill,” Varhelyi told the European Parliament’s plenary session as he presented the EU 2021 Report on Turkey.

Várhelyi pointed to the continued backsliding of human rights under the the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the reason behind the country’s waiting for more than 20 years to join the EU.

“The targeting of political parties, human rights defenders and media represents major setbacks for human rights and runs counter to Turkey’s obligations to respect democracy, rule of law and women’s rights,” he said.

Turkey has been attempting to become part of the EU for decades since it was officially recognized as a candidate for EU membership in 1999.

The negotiations on the membership began in 2005 but they have been stalled due to Ankara’s refusal to free political activists after the July 2016 coup attempt against Erdogan. The government launched a heavy-handed crackdown on those suspected of having links with coup plotters against.