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 In its annual progress report on Turkey, whose decade-long
accession talks with the European Union have largely stalled, the
Commission also noted with concern President Tayyip Erdogan's push
for a constitutional overhaul that would give him much greater
powers.
But the EU executive's criticisms were cloaked in diplomatic
language, reflecting the political sensitivity of dealing with a
large, strategically important country whose cooperation Brussels
sorely needs in tackling Europe's migrant crisis.
"Turkey needs to move because there are many areas where they need
to deal with basic principles, the fundamentals," EU enlargement
commissioner Johannes Hahn told the European Parliament, referring
to human rights and freedom of expression.
The Commission report comes at a difficult time for Turkey, where
fighting has resumed between security forces and militants of the
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) after the collapse of a ceasefire.
Turks have also just handed Erdogan's AK Party, in power since 2002,
a further four years in power in a Nov. 1 election that saw a sharp
rise in social and political tensions.
"The Commission hopes to see an end to the escalating violence in
Turkey and the return to negotiations on a lasting solution on the
Kurdish issue," said Hahn, an Austrian politician from the
center-right.
As Hahn spoke in Brussels, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
told state broadcaster TRT his new government would pursue major
economic, social and judicial reforms in the next six months,
without giving details. He also called for an executive presidential
system.
Erdogan's critics say his push for a stronger presidency in a
country where the head of state has mainly played a more ceremonial
role is evidence of his growing authoritarianism.
MIGRANTS
The EU criticism of Turkey and of Erdogan, who served as prime
minister for a decade before moving to the presidential palace, has
been relatively muted due to the migrant crisis.
The progress report, whose publication was delayed until after the
election to avoid upsetting Erdogan and the mildly Islamist AK
Party, praised Turkey for sheltering millions of refugees fleeing
the civil war in neighboring Syria.
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who visited Istanbul before the
vote, says there can be no solution to the migration crisis without
Turkey, which shares a long border with Syria and Iraq.
The Commission is negotiating a deal for Turkey to absorb more
Syrian refugees in return for easier visa access to the EU, cash and
an acceleration of membership talks.
As well as Turkey, the Balkan countries of Montenegro, Serbia,
Macedonia, Bosnia, Albania and Kosovo are all seeking membership of
the EU, the world's largest trading bloc. But admitting Turkey, a
mainly Muslim nation of 75 million people, has always been much more
controversial.
Even before the recent deterioration on human rights, NATO member
Turkey had faced a series of daunting political obstacles to its
eventual membership, notably over Cyprus.
On Tuesday Hahn said Turkey's accession talks could speed up in the
event of a peace deal between the internationally recognized Greek
Cypriot government and the breakaway Turkish Cypriots in the north
of the island who are backed by Ankara.
In front of EU lawmakers, Hahn declined to go into the latest
details of migration talks with Turkey. He was due to fly to Turkey
later on Tuesday for talks on the migration issue.
(Reporting by Robin Emmott; editing by Gareth Jones)
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