Under current circumstances, despite the democratic and pro-European aspirations of a large part of Turkish society, Turkey’s European Union (EU) accession process cannot resume, the European Parliament said in a report adopted on Wednesday.

The report was approved by 367 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), with 74 against and 188 abstentions.

"MEPs are deeply concerned by the continued deterioration of democratic standards in Türkiye and by the relentless suppression of critical voices. They condemn the harsh crackdown on the recent peaceful mass protests and the prosecution of hundreds of protesters through hasty mass trials lacking any evidence of criminal wrongdoing," the European Parliament said in a press statement after its plenary session in Strasbourg, France.

According to the report, the “Turkish government has failed to address fundamental democratic shortcomings” that are necessary for EU membership.

According to the document, “the current Turkish authorities are pushing the country further towards a fully authoritarian model.”

The report noted that “EU membership is contingent on fulfilling specific accession criteria, such as stable institutions that guarantee democracy, the rule of law, human rights, respect for and the protection of minorities, good neighbourly relations, compliance with international law and alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy.”

These are absolute criteria, the MEPs recalled.

The criteria for EU membership “are not up for negotiation,” the report stressed.

Also, the European Parliament urged the Turkish government, the EU institutions and EU member states to “continue working towards a closer, more dynamic and strategic partnership with particular emphasis on climate action, energy security, counter-terrorism cooperation, and regional stability.”

In December 1999, the European Council recognized Turkey as a candidate country for EU membership. In October 2005, negotiations on the country’s accession to the EU began. But in 2018, the EU Council announced that the negotiations had been suspended.

The negotiations had effectively reached an impasse, the Council document had stated.