Sweden, one of the most enthusiastic countries as regards Turkey becoming a member of the European Union, has begun to change its views after recent developments in Turkey.

Last week Christian Democrat MEP Lars Adaktusson and Popular Party MEP and chair of the Committee on Petitions, Cecilia Wikström, demanded that negotiations on Turkey’s EU membership be suspended, citing Turkey’s increasingly anti-democratic stance and its arrest of dissidents.

For Swedish MEPs to make such a proposal indicates that the Turkish government has begun to lose some of its most avid supporters.  

Christian Democrat MEP Lars Adaktusson wrote an article in the Dagens Nyheter newspaper, saying they had previously supported Turkey’s EU membership with the hope that Turkey would make progress in democratisation, freedom of expression, the rule of law and the recognition of minority rights.

However, Adaktusson said those in power in Turkey had an Islamist agenda and were clamping down on freedom of expression and criminalising journalists, mentioning the government’s closing down social media such as Youtube and Twitter.

He added that Turkey could have played a key role against ISIS and allowed military aid to be provided to Kobane, and by permitting its bases to be used by the US made a significant contribution to the struggle against extremism. Adaktusson added that Turkey could also have done more to prevent ISIS profiting from the sale of oil.

Popular Party MEP and chair of the Committee on Petitions, Cecilia Wikström, said that Turkey was no longer making an effort to become a member of the EU, calling for negotiations to be suspended. She said:

“When it is a question of fundamental human rights and freedoms interest has faded and democracy is not being taken seriously. She added: “I really wanted Turkey to be a member of the EU but this now appears to be a distant dream.”

Wikström drew attention to the arrests of opposition activists and Turkey’s sending warships to an area near Cyprus where it is looking for oil.  

However, Conservative MEP Maria Corazza Bildt opposes the suspension of negotiations on Turkey’s EU membership, arguing that this would weaken pro-EU forces. Bildt says membership negotiations are the best carrot to ensure more democracy and freedom of expression in Turkey.