EU should put ‘possible areas of cooperation on table’

BRUSSELS

The EU should “put a number of possible areas of cooperation on the table” in relations with Turkey “to allow for a progressive, proportionate and reversible approach,” the bloc’s foreign policy chief said in a new report to be presented to EU leaders this week.

The report by Josep Borrell is expected to be passed at Monday’s Foreign Affairs Council meeting, and then to be presented to EU leaders at a key summit this Thursday and Friday where ties with the EU – a longtime membership candidate – are to be discussed.

The report said Turkey’s stance on various issues has been calm and constructive since December 2020, and its positive steps were welcomed by the bloc. But it added that a de-escalation process on tensions between Turkey and Greece remains fragile and time is needed to make a judgment about the sustainability of the process.

Areas of cooperation

The report said: “To deepen the present momentum and incentivise closer EU-Turkey ties across the board, we believe that the Union should put a number of possible areas of cooperation on the table to allow for a progressive, proportionate and reversible approach.”

“These are in our common interest and could be pursued in incremental steps – provided of course that the constructive efforts by Turkey are sustained and reinforced in the next months,” it added.

Effective and mutually beneficial implementation of the Turkey-EU 2016 migration deal EU is one of the areas that should be improved, said the report – an area Turkey has also stressed.

Turkey should take refugees from Greek islands, while the EU should step up resettlements from Turkey to the member states, it added.

Customs Union update

“Strengthening our already substantial economic ties is another win-win situation for both sides, particularly in the currently difficult economic climate. At the heart of this would be the modernisation and expansion of the scope of the current EU-Turkey Customs Union as already proposed by the Commission,” said the report, adding that member states should authorize the European Commission to start negotiations with Turkey on such modernization “provided that Turkey takes concrete steps in resolving the current trade irritants.”

Turkey has long pressed for an update to the 1995 Customs Union.

The report said keeping communication channels open will be useful, adding that previously suspended high-level dialogue on the economy, energy, transport, political developments, and foreign and security policies could be re-launched.

“Increasing people-to-people contacts is a further confidence-building measure. The Commission intends to continue facilitating Turkey’s participation in the next generation of EU programmes, such as Erasmus+, Horizon Europe etc. under the new Multi-annual Financial Framework,” said the report.

“The Commission remains ready to advise Turkey on the specifics of the outstanding benchmarks defined in the Visa Liberalisation Roadmap,” it added.

Possible road bumps

If Turkey does “not move forward constructively in developing a genuine partnership with the EU … it should be made clear that this would bear political and economic consequences,” said the report.

The measures that can be implemented should be “smart, scalable yet reversible,” said the report.

Among possible measures that will be taken if ties do not improve, said the report, are the adoption of additional listings agreed to at last December’s EU leaders’ summit, enhancing the existing sanctions regime, and imposing restrictions on economic cooperation, including the operations of the European Investment Bank and other financial institutions, targeting sectors such as tourism with negative travel advice, and restricting the export and import of some goods and technologies.

“In line with the December 2020 European Council conclusions, the Commission will also rapidly prepare options for continued funding for refugees and host communities in Turkey,” said the report.

“Given the serious needs on the ground and the significant burden that Turkey continues to shoulder in this regard, this is a European investment in stability and solidarity. We have a genuine self-interest to build on the success stories of the last years,” it added.

EU leaders at the December summit asked Borrell to report on how to advance relations with Turkey. In this context, the report summarized economic and political relations between Turkey and the EU in recent years.

*Writing and contributions by Busra Nur Cakmak