The EU’s Progress Report on Turkey’s Accession: Sluggish Steps Forward

The European Commission’s annual report on Turkey’s progress towards full EU membership showed that some advances had been made over the last year, but it continued to raise 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 14 October, came at a critical juncture for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) as the country’s bid for full membership will come up for review at the EU summit in December under the Swedish Presidency. Accession negotiations have been proceeding at a snail’s pace over the last year and run the risk of coming to a complete standstill unless there is some substantive progress on Cyprus.