The EU’s Progress Report on Turkey’s Accession: Stalling Reform

The European Commission’s annual report on Turkey’s progress towards full EU membership showed that little progress had been made over the last year. It continued to raise serious concerns about freedom of expression, the independence of the judiciary and the military’s interference in political life, among other issues.

The report, released on 5 November, came at a critical juncture for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which was almost banned earlier this year by the Constitutional Court for anti-secular activities. In October a group of ultranationalists went on trial for seeking to trigger a military coup. What little progress has been made since the last report has been largely in economic matters, although the economy is now wobbling.