Recent Turkish Actions Taking Country Further Away from EU Membership, Enlargement Commissioner Says

EDIRNE, Türkiye: Recent actions in Türkiye, restrictions on media freedom and developments concerning local democracy are taking the country further away from its goal of joining the European Union, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos has said.

According to Reuters, Kos made the remarks while speaking to journalists in the northwestern Turkish province of Edirne on Friday. She said the European Union had a strong interest in developing cooperative relations with Türkiye, but concerns over democratic standards remained.

Kos said recent developments affecting media freedom, the rights of LGBTQ+ people and local democracy were raising serious concerns within the European Union. She added that the EU’s enlargement report, scheduled for release on October 28, would highlight concerns in these areas.

According to Reuters, a Turkish court last week ordered access to the website and social media accounts of independent news outlet T24 to be blocked. Authorities alleged that the outlet had published 118 articles over the past year that they classified as LGBTQ+ propaganda. The move was part of investigations targeting LGBTQ+ groups.

The Turkish government has linked such measures to protecting children and promoting family values, while human rights organisations and the European Union have criticised restrictions affecting LGBTQ+ rights.

Türkiye has been a candidate for EU membership since 1999. However, its accession process has remained largely stalled for years amid disagreements over human rights, the rule of law and democratic standards.

Despite these concerns, Kos emphasised the importance of cooperation with Türkiye, saying the changing regional situation, including the spillover effects of the Russia-Ukraine war in the Black Sea region, had increased Türkiye’s strategic importance.

She said Türkiye was considerably more strategically important today than it had been four or five years ago.

Kos added that the EU and Türkiye were continuing discussions on modernising their Customs Union agreement and making progress on public procurement. These efforts aim to improve trade relations and expand Türkiye’s participation in European industrial and trade programmes.

Reuters reported that the Turkish government had not immediately responded to Kos’s remarks.