Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said the European Commission’s (EC) annual report on Turkey’s lingering European Union (EU) membership bid is “unfair and biased”, on Thursday, the 9th of November, reports Reuters.
Turkey’s EU accession efforts have been frozen since 2005, when EU membership negotiations were launched. A report by the EU executive published on Wednesday, the 8th of November, criticised Turkey’s “serious backsliding” in democratic standards, the rule of law, human rights and the independence of the judiciary.
“We categorically reject unjustified claims and unfair criticism,
in particular with regard to the political criteria and the Judiciary and Fundamental Rights Chapter,” Reuters quotes the Turkish Foreign Ministry statement.
The EC noted that Turkey also fails to comply with the rule of law, human rights, and fundamental freedoms in its fight against terrorism, and that gender-based violence and hate speech against minorities and the LGBT community remain serious concerns, the report said.
For its part, the Turkish ministry said that the accusations were unfair and highlighted “the dishonesty of the EU’s approach and clear double standards”, the ministry added that fundamental rights issues were controversial even among EU member states, writes Reuters.
The Commission’s report aims to inform Turkey on its progress towards meeting EU membership standards, but it could cause tensions in a relationship already strained by immigration and the war in Gaza.
Read also: EC calls for EU membership negotiations with Ukraine
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