The Austrian Chancellor says any chance of progressing EU-Turkey talks on Turkish accession into the EU are "buried" in growing opposition to Erdogan's clampdown on the media and opposition parties — exacerbated by the referendum April 16, which have given him sweeping new powers.
#Erdogan signals new era in #EU — #Turkey relations.#EUTurkey #TurkeyReferundum #TurkishReferendum #OSCEhttps://t.co/82dU1P87VH
— Alice Stollmeyer (@StollmeyerEU) April 18, 2017
"[Turkey's] membership prospects are buried, in practical terms. We are entering a new era," Kern told reporters in Vienna, adding that membership talks were now "obsolete."
The Italian foreign minister Angelino Alfano has called on his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu to demand the release of Del Grande, who is currently in police detention in Hatay on the Syrian border.
Italy calls on Turkey to release jailed journalist Gabriele Del Grande — https://t.co/6TFdAJhPWp via @koppeu1 #Turkey #Italy #Gabriele pic.twitter.com/WuGZJAzV43
— Patrizia Rinaldi (@patriziarn) April 20, 2017
Meanwhile, relations between Berlin and Ankara have declined since the arrest, February 27, of Deniz Yucel, a German-Turkish journalist working for Die Welt newspaper. He was arrested and detained on charges of supporting a terrorist organization and inciting public violence.
EU-Turkey Migrant Deal Collapse?
Turkish membership of the EU was part of the EU-Turkey migrant deal intended to stem the flow of migrants crossing from Turkey into Europe.
The deal is supposed to allow for the return of migrants refused asylum — or not claiming it — in Greece to Turkey.
However, it is crumbling because of growing criticism of Erdogan's purge of journalists and the opposition, human rights issues and the referendum outcome.
