Title: Turkey: EU "Biased and Prejudiced" Regarding Membership Application

The Turkish Foreign Ministry stated that the European Commission's annual report on Turkey's long-stalled bid for EU membership is "biased and prejudiced." On Wednesday, the Commission criticized Turkey's "serious regression" concerning democratic standards, the rule of law, human rights, and judicial independence. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement, "We firmly reject the unfounded claims and biased criticisms, especially regarding political standards, the judiciary, and fundamental rights." The Commission also noted that Turkey has not complied with principles of the rule of law and human rights in its fight against terrorism. The Turkish ministry deemed these criticisms unfair, reflecting "the insincerity of the approach and the clear double standards in the EU," adding that issues related to fundamental rights are contentious even among EU member states. The Commission's report aims to showcase Turkey's recent progress toward meeting EU membership criteria, which may further strain already tense relations over migration and, more recently, the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Turkey's efforts to join the EU have been stalled for years since membership talks began in 2005.