EC open to continue accession talks with Turkey

The European Commission has called on the bloc’s governments to reopen stalled membership talks with Turkey despite this year’s crackdown on protesters.

The Commission’s annual report has criticized the Turkish government for its “uncompromising stance in the face of dissent” and use of “excessive force” by police in May and June, but urged the 28 EU states to give new impetus to ties with Turkey by resuming the talks.

The report has noted that the accession process remains the most suitable framework for promoting EU-related reforms in Turkey.

“It is in the interest of both Turkey and the EU that the opening benchmarks for chapters 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental rights) and 24 (Justice, Freedom and Security) are agreed upon and communicated to Turkey as soon as possible with a view to enabling the opening of negotiations under these two chapters,” the European Commission says.