EU Leaders ask Commission to explore cuts in Turkey aid

20/10/2017 12:38

        European leaders agreed on
        Thursday to explore cuts in EU funds to Turkey that are linked
        to Ankara's stalled bid to join the bloc after German Chancellor
        Angela Merkel pressed for action in response to what she
        described as "unacceptable" Turkish behaviour on human rights.
        
        While praising Turkey for taking in Syrian refugees, Merkel
        stuck with the tougher tone she adopted during her reelection
        campaign last month, although she stopped short of calling for
        an outright end to Ankara's decade-long push to join the bloc.
        
        "We asked the Commission to make recommendations on changing
        and reducing the pre-accession aid," Merkel told reporters after
        the first day of an EU summit.
        
        "There is no majority for breaking off the talks
        immediately. On the other hand there is a great deal of
        scepticism about the current situation. I made the case tonight
        that we should seek dialogue with Turkey."
        
        Earlier she said that the rule of law in Turkey was "moving
        in the wrong direction", in a reference to the large-scale purge
        that President Tayyip Erdogan has carried out following a failed
        coup attempt in July 2016.
        
        Other countries, including the Netherlands and Belgium,
        backed a diversion of the funds that EU candidate countries
        receive while they are in talks to join the bloc.
        
        "Everyone knows that those negotiations are de facto frozen,
        are de facto almost dead," Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel
        told a news conference.
        
        Launched in 2005 after decades of seeking the formal start
        of an EU membership bid, Ankara's membership negotiations were
        always sensitive for France and Germany because of Turkey's
        status as a large, mainly Muslim country.
        
        But the scope of Erdogan's response to last year's coup
        attempt, his detention of U.S. and European citizens including
        dual nationals, and his jibes at Germany and the Netherlands for
        what he has called "Nazi-like" behaviour.
        
        Aside from money that the EU gives Turkey as part of its
        2016 migration deal, Ankara is set to receive 4.4 billion euros
        from the EU between 2014 and 2020.
        
        Some northern countries say aid meant to help Turkey reform
        politically now makes no sense because Ankara has cracked down
        so dramatically after the failed coup.
        
        With 50,000 people jailed pending trial, including
        German-Turkish nationals, EU membership also looks more distant
        than ever, EU officials say.
        
        Turkey is set to receive almost 500 million euros next year
        for the EU's common budget and European governments are
        discussing how much to limit that while not hitting projects
        such as infrastructure and agriculture.
        
        The European Parliament has proposed reducing the transfer
        by 50 million euros next year, with another 30 million euros set
        aside for further cuts should the relationship with Turkey
        deteriorate even more. A vote is expected on Wednesday.
        
        "Providing Turkey money for political reforms does not make
        sense given the situation," said Siegfried Muresan, a
        centre-right EU lawmaker who is leading EU budget in the
        parliament.
        
        However, EU governments are divided, with Poland, Britain
        and Sweden maintaining their strong support for Turkey's EU
        membership and countries such as Austria demanding not just a
        freeze to accession funds but an end to membership talks.