Turkey's full EU membership stalled

The European Commission (EC) released its annual report Tuesday on Turkey's accession process, citing continued democratic backsliding under the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey had not “credibly addressed” EU concerns over the ongoing deterioration in rule of law, fundamental rights and the independence of the judiciary, Oliver Varhelyi, the EC’s Commissioner said.

“The underlying facts leading to the standstill in Turkey’s accession negotiations still hold,” Varhelyi said in a statement Tuesday.

For the first time, the Commission’s report questioned whether Ankara was serious about implementing EU-backed reforms. In a period where Turkey-EU relations are basically frozen or even worse, it’s a bit unrealistic to expect there were groundbreaking steps taken for Turkey’s alignment with the EU. 

Turkey’s foreign ministry released a statement the same day, rejecting what it deemed “baseless claims and unfair criticisms,” reaffirming Ankara’s determination to seek full EU membership.

EU-Turkey relations were further strained in 2019, when Ankara began conducting energy prospecting missions in the eastern Mediterranean, raising tensions with both Greece and Cyprus regarding overlapping claims on territorial waters and natural resources in the region.

Since 2005, Turkey has pursued EU membership, though its bid stalled in recent years and has faced increased scrutiny, particularly in the wake of mass purges and a crackdown on Erdogan’s political opponents following a 2016 coup attempt.