EU's critical report on Turkey draws criticism itself
Turkey has an oddly mild reaction to a bruising report from the European Commission.
It was no surprise Turkey's latest report card from the EU was its worst ever. The first clue was the report's title. Unlike past "progress reports," this one was simply called the "2018 Report on Turkey." French diplomat Marc Pierini, a former EU ambassador in Ankara and a top expert on bilateral relations, went one step further, calling it the "Turkey Regress Report."
The annual reports by the European Commission assess the efforts Turkey has supposedly made to join the bloc. The commission is often critical, but the April 17 report was like the final nail in the coffin of Turkey's long-running bid for acceptance.
European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who oversees EU membership bids, told a news conference after releasing the report that Turkey "continues to take huge strides away from the EU, in particular in the areas of rule of law and fundamental rights."
Ankara was quick to respond. In less than two hours — around midnight — the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement.
