EP’s Piri: European Commission failed to send clear message to Erdoğan

Kati Piri, the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Turkey, on Tuesday criticized the European Commission for not sending a clear message to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that his policies will have consequences for Turkey’s EU accession process.

The European Commission earlier today issued its 2018 report on Turkey.“The Commission’s analysis of last year’s developments in Turkey is grim, as expected. However, the Commission fails to draw any political conclusions,” Piri said in a written statement.

“The delusion of EU membership is kept alive, even when a new constitution has been approved which fails to safeguard the basic principles of a democracy. The Commission missed the opportunity to send a clear message to President Erdogan that his policies will have consequences for Turkey’s EU accession process – as the EP already did last year,” she added.

“Under the current circumstances, there is no room for new initiatives with Turkey, such as the modernization of the customs union and the introduction of the visa-free travel. The signal issued earlier by the European Parliament that the accession talks with Ankara should formally be suspended if the new constitution comes into force, would be strengthened considerably if the Commission and the Council would endorse it,” said Piri.

“The European Parliament will issue its annual report on Turkey this summer, in which Kati Piri will present her findings as a rapporteur.”