Turkey is moving further away from its goal of joining the European Union, the EU’s enlargement commissioner said on Friday.

Marta Kos pointed to Turkey’s crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community and limits on media freedom. She spoke in the northwestern province of Edirne at the opening of an EU-funded railway project.

A Turkish court recently ordered access to independent news outlet T24’s website and social media accounts blocked. Authorities said it published 118 items deemed ‘LGBT propaganda’ over the past year.

The decision came under a widening ‘My Family is Safe’ investigation targeting LGBTQ+ groups. The government says it aims to protect children and family values. Rights groups and the EU have strongly criticized the move.

Turkey has been an official EU candidate since 1999. Its accession has long been frozen over human rights and democratic backsliding. The EU’s annual enlargement report, due October 28, will reflect what Kos called ‘serious concerns’.