Kati Piri, a prominent member of the European Parliament in charge of relations with Ankara, said Turkey would close the door on joining the European Union if it adopted the constitutional changes backed in the April 16 referendum.
The comments come a day after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Reuters that Turkey would not wait forever on the threshold of Europe and that it could pull out of EU accession talks if growing Islamophobia and hostility from some member states continue.
The Dutch center-left MEP, who is the rapporteur on the report on Turkey, told reporters before a plenary session on relations with Turkey that if Erdogan promotes any changes that strengthen his powers, then E. Ε. will formally suspend the long-stalled negotiations for Turkey's accession.
"Since Turkey cannot become a member of the EU with such a Constitution, it also does not make sense to continue discussions on its accession," Piri said, echoing the views of other prominent members of the European Parliament, which last year adopted a non-binding resolution calling for the proceedings to be suspended.
On Monday, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn called on EU foreign ministers to meet in Malta on Friday to consider ending Turkey's accession process.
Like Hahn, Piri said Brussels could speed up talks on strengthening the customs union Turkey already has with the EU over the next two or three years. He said the process would also be a lever for Europeans in Turkey to undo policies that European leaders say undermine Turkish democracy.
Source: Newsbeast