EU deals blow to Turkey’s membership bid, saying talks ‘effectively at standstill’ — RT

 The EU’s executive has said that Turkey’s inability to maintain democracy and safeguard human rights remain barriers to its membership of the 27-member bloc. Ankara criticized the report as ‘far from constructive.’

On Tuesday, the European Commission released its annual report on the country, and in a summary warned that “accession negotiations have effectively come to a standstill.”

 The scathing 115-page “Turkey 2020 Report” was published on Tuesday amid Ankara’s tense standoff with Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean.

“Turkey has continued to move further away from the European Union with serious backsliding in the areas of democracy, rule of law, fundamental rights and the independence of the judiciary,” a summary statement of the report read.

The publication outlined serious criticisms of NATO ally Turkey, which began EU membership negotiations in 2005.