Turkey is drifting further from EU membership, and the bloc's own enlargement commissioner said so publicly on Friday. M...

Turkey is drifting further from EU membership, and the bloc's own enlargement commissioner said so publicly on Friday. Marta Kos told reporters that Turkey's recent crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community and media freedoms are "widening the gap" with Ankara's goal of joining the EU, adding that she would not shy away from stating those facts clearly. The specific trigger was a Turkish court ordering the independent news outlet T24 blocked after authorities said it had published content deemed "LGBT propaganda." The ban came under an investigation called "My Family is Safe," a government push that officials say protects children and family values, but that rights groups and the EU have sharply criticized. Turkey has been an official EU candidate since 1999, though accession talks have been frozen for years over human rights concerns and democratic backsliding. The EU's annual enlargement report, due October 28, will reflect what Kos described as "serious concerns" in these areas. At the same time, Kos acknowledged that the need for EU-Turkey cooperation has actually grown. Speaking at the opening of an EU-funded railway project in the northwestern Turkish province of Edirne, she said conflicts in the region, particularly the expansion of the Russia-Ukraine war to the Black Sea, have made Turkey significantly more relevant than it was four or five years ago. Turkey has been pushing for an updated customs union with the EU, and has asked to join several EU programs including the SAFE defense investment initiative, the SEPA payments system, and the "Made in Europe" manufacturing rules. Kos confirmed two tracks of work are currently ongoing with Ankara on the customs union and public procurement. There was no immediate reaction from the Turkish government to Kos' remarks. #Turkey #EU #TurkeyEU