EU-Turkey talks fail to thaw frosty relationship

More intensive talks will be needed to defrost the icy relationship that has evolved between Turkey and the EU, EU Council president Donald Tusk admitted on Monday evening following a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

After an EU-Turkey summit at Varna on the Black Sea coast involving both men, European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker, and Bulgarian prime minister Boyko Borisov for the rotating EU presidency, Mr Tusk told journalists that “We didn’t achieve any kind of concrete compromise today.”

“I raised all of our concerns. It was a long list, including the rule of law and press freedom, bilateral relations with member states and the situation in Syria. Only progress on these issues will allow us to improve EU-Turkey relations, including the accession process,” he said. “We agreed that we should continue our dialogue in difficult circumstances.”

The EU, however, reaffirmed its continued commitment to the deal that has seen Turkey stem the flow of Syrian refugees to its shores, and Mr Tusk thanked Turkey for hosting more than three million of them. The EU has already committed €3 billion to help Turkey manage the refugee influx and another €3 billion is on the way.

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Visa complaint

Mr Erdogan complained that the union has so far disbursed just €1.8 billion and dragged its feet on a reciprocal pledge to end visa requirements for Turks travelling to Europe. He also called on Brussels to update the customs union, which governs Turkey’s trade with the EU.

Mr Tusk, referring to the refugees, said “the EU and Turkey remain very close partners . . . and this evening we reaffirmed the European Union’s unwavering commitment to continue this support”, he said.

“Turkey has committed to developing and upholding the highest standards of democracy,” the European Council president said.

“We understand Turkey’s need to deal effectively with its security after the attempted coup and the terrorist attacks it has suffered. But we are concerned that some of the methods used undermine fundamental freedoms and the rule of law in Turkey.

“We encourage Turkey to work with the Council of Europe, of which Turkey has been a member longer than most EU member states. The EU also stands ready to assist,” Mr Tusk said.

The EU accounts for about half of Turkish exports. With total trade of more than €130 billion between the two, Turkey’s trade with the EU is more than five times greater than that with its next largest partner, China.

The prospect of breathing new life into Turkey’s decades-old bid for EU accession – it began negotiating EU membership in 2005 – remains remote. Before arriving in Bulgaria, Mr Erdogan insisted “EU membership remains our strategic goal.”

“It would be a grave mistake for Europe, which claims to be a global force, to push Turkey out of its expansion policy,” he said.

“We now expect strong support [from the EU] on sensitive issues such as the fight against terrorism instead of rambling and unjust criticism,” Mr Erdogan said.

Crackdown

His crackdown on the opposition and undermining of Turkey’s judiciary following the 2016 attempted coup has seen more than 50,000 arrests including many journalists, academics and opposition politicians, outlawed dozens of civil society groups, newspapers and television stations. EU leaders have made clear that any further accession discussions are on hold.

Bad relations have been exacerbated by Ankara’s decision to send naval vessels last month to stop Cyprus from drilling for oil in its territorial waters and by the arrest of two Greek soldiers on espionage charges who Greece says inadvertently crossed its border. The union has described the naval action as an “illegal blockade”.

Mr Tusk also said that the EU had expressed its concern with Turkey’s actions in Syria, in particular the situation in the northwest region of Afrin, where Turkish force are trying to drive out Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters.