I have to laugh, they’re still talking about EU membership when the entire enterprise is tanking. It’s like talking about where to place the deckchairs on the sinking Titanic.
Austria reinforces barrier to Turkish EU membership
Austria however refused to sign the statement because it wants a complete freeze of Turkey’s long-stalled process for joining the 28-member bloc, including negotiations that are currently underway.
“Under the currently prevailing circumstances, no new chapters are considered for opening,” said the statement by the European Union presidency, which is currently held by Slovakia.
A “chapter” is a specific area of negotiations in the membership talks, on issues ranging from human rights to economic cooperation.
The development is likely to further strain EU ties with Turkey in the wake of the government’s mass arrests and purges following the failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July.