Scrimping EU to pull £4.3bn from Turkey while snatching cash from UK to fill Brexit hole
THE cash-strapped European Union (EU) is set to withdraw its promise to hand £4.3billion in pre-accession aid to Turkey in a bid to bridge the financial gap left by Brexit.
Günther Oettinger revealed it is very “unlikely” the money, designed to bring Europe and Turkey closer together, will be paid to Ankara as tensions deteriorate between both countries.
The move is likely to push back Turkey’s long-standing membership bid, with official negotiations to become a member dragging into their 12th year.
Mr Oettinger, European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources, said: “Against the backdrop of the political development in Turkey, I cannot imagine such projects will continue to be promoted.”
The savings attempt comes after Germany has put pressure on Brussels to punish Turkey following the arrest of a Turkish-German journalist and a pullout of German troops from a Turkish air base
Against the backdrop of the political development in Turkey, I cannot imagine such projects will continue to be promoted
Berlin officials said given recent developments, the European Commission should look into suspending all pre-accession aid to Turkey if the need arises.
The Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) is when the EU supports reforms in the 'enlargement countries' with financial and technical help. The
They said IPA should be targeted "even more towards supporting democracy and the rule of law".
Turkey has been vying to join the EU for more than a decade, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan using the migrant crisis as a bargaining chip, striking a deal with Brussels over the crisis in exchange for political sweeteners, which included kick-starting their membership bid.
Erdogan: The people of Turkey don't want the EU anymore
But relations have turned sour with the European Union, in particular Germany, and the two countries have been engaged in a public spat over the past few months.
Recently Berlin issued new travel warnings for tourists visiting the country, and foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel said he could no longer guarantee investment in Turkey following accusations made by Mr Erdogan.
At the same time EU boss Mr Oettinger has also demanded Britain pay into the coffers of the Brussels club until “at least 2020” despite Brexit scheduled to take place before then.
Brussels is attempting to bridge the gap left by Britain’s decision to leave the bloc as it faces the prospect of losing its second-biggest financial contributor.