The European Commission says Turkey's treatment of its president has "sharpened her focus" on women's rights.
The comments on Wednesday (7 April) come on the 10th anniversary of the Istanbul Convention, which seeks to promote rights and curtail domestic violence.
But they also come after the symbolic diplomatic shaming earlier this week of commission president Ursula von der Leyen while in Turkey.
Von der Leyen was in Ankara with EU council president Charles Michel.
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Nikolaj joined EUobserver in 2012 and covers home affairs. He is originally from Denmark, but spent much of his life in France and in Belgium. He was awarded the King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.