MEPs on the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee on June 20 adopted a resolution calling on the EU Commission and EU member state governments “to formally suspend the accession negotiations with Turkey without delay if the [Turkish] constitutional reform package is implemented unchanged”, the European Parliament said in a June 20 press release.

As an alternative to continuing with the accession talks, the EU lawmakers proposed upgrading the EU-Turkey Customs Union “by making human rights and fundamental freedoms part of a new agreement”.

“MEPs think the measures taken in response to the coup attempt are disproportionate, regretting the large-scale dismissal of civil servants, the closing of media outlets, the arrest of journalists, judges and human rights defenders, and the closure of schools and universities,” the release added.

“MEPs are concerned about Turkey’s backsliding with the rule of law, human rights, media freedom, and the fight against corruption,” it continued.

In the face of criticism from its Western allies over measures adopted in the wake of last year’s coup attempt, the Ankara government is maintaing that European countries fail to understand the threats the coup plotters, allegedly linked to US-based exiled Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, pose to the country’s security.

According to the release from the European Parliament, the EU lawmakers also condemned the repeatedly declared expressions of support for the reintroduction of the death penalty made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The reintroduction of capital punishment “would put into question Turkey’s membership in the Council of Europe and lead to an immediate end to EU accession talks”.

Erdogan, who can presently rule by decree under Turkey's indefinite state of emergency, floated the idea of reintroducing the death penalty in the wake of the botched coup attempt.

The resolution, which was part of the MEPs' annual assessment of Turkey’s reform progress, recognised the importance of good EU-Turkey relations and of maintaining a constructive and open dialogue. These aspects, it said, are key to addressing common challenges such as migration, security or terrorism.

The resolution was adopted by 51 votes to 3, with 14 abstentions. The full chamber of parliament is scheduled to vote on it during the next plenary session in Strasbourg in July.