The European Commission has asked member states to upgrade trade relations with Turkey, but said this would be conditional on respect for democracy.
The proposal comes amid fraying relations with Turkey over its crackdown on alleged coup sympathisers and Kurdish separatists, as well as its ever-closer links with Russia.
The commission said on Wednesday (21 December) it had asked the Council, which represents EU countries, to “modernise” its 1996 Customs Union with Turkey.
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Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.