The European Union is considering freezing negotiations over Turkey’s decades-long bid to join the bloc as tensions flare over the measures the government has taken in the wake of July’s failed coup attempt, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and several senior EU officials are questioning the rationale of continuing membership negotiations amid fresh criticism over democracy and rule of law in Turkey—two essential conditions for joining the EU.

On Tuesday, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, expressed “grave concern” about plans to reinstate the death penalty, newspaper closures and arrests of prominent opposition politicians. She said these are “extremely worrying developments which weaken the rule of law, the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and compromise parliamentary democracy in Turkey.”

The European Commission, the bloc’s executive, on Wednesday is set to publish a report on Turkey’s membership bid. According to a draft version seen by The Wall Street Journal, the commission will conclude that the situation in Turkey with regards to the rule of law, media freedom and human rights—essential criteria for any country joining the EU—has deteriorated compared with 2015.

Source: MENA