BRUSSELS: The European Commission will criticise Turkey today for failing to safeguard the independence of its judges and says it wants to have more discussion on rights as part of Ankara’s bid to join the European Union, according a senior EU official.
The Commission, the EU executive, will make the calls when it publishes its annual report to assess how far Turkey and other countries aspiring to EU membership have progressed in bringing their rules into line with EU standards and values.
“What has happened in Turkey has raised serious doubts about the independence of the judiciary,” said the official, who declined to be named because the report is not yet public.
“There are serious doubts about fundamental freedoms,” the official added, referring to social media and the Internet.
The remarks follow the European Union’s criticism of Ankara’s handling of anti-government protests last year but also come as the West seeks to persuade Turkey to join an international coalition to fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
The EU also risks angering Turkey less than a month after Ankara signalled a shift in tone by announcing a new programme to revive its efforts to attain EU membership, a process that has stalled after almost a decade of on-off negotiations.
But the European Commission is concerned about a struggle for influence over the courts as Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan pursues his political foes, part of a corruption scandal which has swirled around Erdogan’s inner circle.
The power struggle dogged Erdogan’s final months as prime minister and saw him purge thousands of police and hundreds of judges and prosecutors, steps that raised concern among Western allies and investors.
In addition, a law tightening government control of the Internet, although annulled by Turkey’s top court, has also alarmed the Commission. Its recommendations influence how EU governments will proceed on Turkey’s membership negotiations.
Turkey, a member of the Nato Western military alliance, began talks to join the EU in 2005, 18 years after applying. But a series of political obstacles, notably over Cyprus, and resistance to Turkish membership in Germany and France mean much of the accession process is frozen.
Reuters
