Turkey's EU membership talks 'must be stopped'
Few EU states support Austria's stance
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Austria wants the European Union to freeze membership talks with Turkey over Ankara's massive crackdown following the failed coup.
Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said that the EU "must at least freeze the accession negotiations".
He said: "It is wrong to continue accession negotiations as if nothing negative has happened in Turkey in the last few months."
Few EU states support Austria's stance.
On Thursday, EU leaders will discuss the bloc's deal with Turkey to stop tens of thousands of migrants arriving in Europe.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to open border gates after the European Parliament called last month for a freeze on membership talks.
Turkish authorities have arrested almost 38,000 people and purged more than 100,000 others from government jobs since the thwarted 15 July coup.
Last week, the EU reached an agreement to grant visa-free travel to 50 million Ukrainians and Georgians.
Officials said the deal had been struck on Thursday to end an internal EU dispute that had been holding up the promised measures.
Late-night talks involving EU member states and the European Parliament had reached a compromise on the terms of a mechanism which can be used to suspend the visa-free schemes in emergencies.
The deal on visa suspension must still be formally approved by the member states and the European Parliament.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments