EU laments poor progress by Turkey in membership efforts

BRUSSELS – The European Union says Turkey has failed to make progress and is even backsliding on bringing its laws into line with EU standards as it seeks to join the bloc.

The European Commission, which monitors membership talks, said Tuesday that Ankara continues to crack down on opponents and the media and that "no progress has been achieved" in fighting corruption.

Brussels called on Turkey to lift the state of emergency introduced after a failed coup attempt in July 2016.

It said "the broad scale and collective nature, and the disproportionality of measures taken ... under the state of emergency, such as widespread dismissals, arrests, and detentions, continue to raise serious concerns."

Turkey began EU membership talks in 2005, but they have remained at a standstill in recent years.