Turkey's EU Membership Talks 'A Fiction'

Austria's Chancellor has said the negotiations are "no more than a fiction", in comments that have angered Turkish officials.

16:42, UK, Thursday 04 August 2016

The prospect of Turkey in the EU was a contentious issue in the referendum

By Mark Stone, Europe Correspondent

Negotiations with Turkey in its quest to become a member of EU are a "fiction", according to the Austrian Chancellor.

Using language which could deepen the rift between the EU and Turkey, Christian Kern told the Austrian newspaper Die Presse it was important to "face the reality: the accession negotiations are currently no more than a fiction".
Mr Kern suggested he would consult other EU leaders about ending all discussion of a possible Turkish membership.
His words prompted an angry response from Turkey's Europe Affairs Minister, who said they came close to the rhetoric of the far right.

Mr Kern is looking into ending EU membership negotiations with Turkey entirely

"It's disturbing that his statements are similar to those of the far right ... Criticism is surely a democratic right but there has to be a difference between criticising Turkey and being against Turkey," Omer Celik told reporters in Ankara.
Mr Kern said Turkey's illegibility for membership was not only as a consequence of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's hard-line crackdown following the coup attempt, but also because of the clear economic disparities between EU countries and Turkey.
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has appeared to distance himself from the remarks, telling German television he does not think it would be helpful to end the negotiations.
If Turkey was to join the EU it would have to sign up to the four fundamental pillars of the Union - free movement of goods, services, capital and people - which Mr Kern warned would create massive economic distortions not acceptable in Europe.
The prospect of Turkey joining the EU was a key issue in the UK referendum, with the Vote Leave campaign presenting it as a certainty.
Many in the Remain campaign insisted there was no prospect of Turkey becoming an EU member for many decades, if at all.
The Austria-Turkey row is only the beginning of what's expected to be a particularly bitter disagreement between the EU and Turkey, which will have big implications when it comes to a head in the next few months.
In March, at the height of the continent's migration crisis, the EU reluctantly agreed to re-energise talks with Turkey about its future EU membership, as well as accelerate visa liberalisation for Turkish nationals wanting to travel to the EU