The EU criticises the Turkish military's role in politics in the draft of a progress report due later this year, it was reported today.
The European Union is due to publish a progress report on Ankara's entry bid in October or November, but Turkey's Cumhuriyetnewspaper reports EU sources attacking the country's lack of reform, approach to minority rights and its policy on Cyprus.
After a year after of negotiations, relations turned frosty on Friday when Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said he would prefer to suspend talks rather than make concessions over Cyprus.
The newspaper cited EU sources saying the first draft criticised Turkey's refusal to meet the demand to open its ports to Cyprus, before trade restrictions on Turkish Cypriots in breakaway northern Cyprus are lifted.
It said the draft also notes a slowdown in political reform, the military's continuing influence over political institutions and calls for more work for judicial independence and rights for women and minorities.
It says conditions in the poor, mainly Kurdish southeast, where security forces are fighting separatist guerrillas, have deteriorated and criticises relations with traditional enemies and neighbours Greece and Armenia.
The European Commission's enlargement spokeswoman, Krisztina Nagy, said the report was still a long way off.
"I don't think a consolidated draft report exists at this stage. In any case it is much too early to speculate on its content," she said.
But the newspaper said that while the draft would be amended, its sources did not expect many fundamental changes.
"This is standard EU criticism of Turkey," said an official in Brussels who asked not to be named. "It was present in last year's report and it is likely to be in this year's report."
EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on Friday replied to Mr Erdogan's Cyprus comments by calling on Turkey to let shipping from the tiny Mediterranean island use Turkish ports this year.
Last week Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker was quoted as saying membership talks should be frozen if Turkey does not open its ports this year.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn has said Turkey, which is not expected to join until 2015 at the earliest, could be heading for a "train crash" in its accession process and has urged Ankara to step up reforms.