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CHarles Michel, President of the European Council, made a comment last Friday that made a deep impression. The time has come to end the “cat and mouse game”, he said in the direction of Turkey. Who exactly is playing with whom: Turkey with the European Union or the EU with Turkey? Michel left it open. Of course, we know how games like this end – the mouse falls short. And Michel certainly did not mean that Europe is giving up. Indeed, after months of goodwill and tolerance, it seems the time has come when the European Union is tightening the screw on sanctions. The heads of state and government will make a decision in principle when they meet in person in Brussels on Thursday. That was what they had agreed to three months ago.
Thomas gutschker
Political correspondent for the European Union, NATO and the Benelux countries based in Brussels.
Even then, Greece, Cyprus, Austria and France insisted on new sanctions against Ankara due to the illegal drilling of gas in the Cypriot economic zone from the perspective of the EU. Germany, for its part, led a group of states that wanted to give diplomacy another chance. Top politicians fought for a joint statement for nine hours. In the end there was a compromise. On the one hand, the heads of state and government offered “a positive EU-Turkey political agenda” that provides for the modernization of the customs union, visa facilitation, high-level dialogues and continued cooperation on migration issues. On the other hand, they demanded that Turkey refrain from “unilateral measures or provocations” against Greece and Cyprus. Otherwise, the European Union “will use all the instruments and options at its disposal” to “defend the interests of the Member States and the Union”. That was the diplomatic formula for sanctions; For the Chancellor it was very important that the word itself did not appear in the text.
Behavior in the Mediterranean has not changed
However, hopes for relaxation have not been fulfilled. EU foreign ministers discussed the situation in Brussels on Monday. They reached a unanimous verdict, which the external representative Josep Borrell described as “not positive.” He summed it up as follows: “We have not seen Turkey fundamentally change its behavior. On the contrary, the situation has worsened in several points ”. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) put it this way: “Unfortunately, due to tensions between Turkey, Cyprus and Greece, it was not possible to start direct talks, it has given way to too many provocations.” Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said: “We can no longer accept the ‘open door, closed door’ policy that Ankara is following.”
Schallenberg was referring to the fact that Ankara sends changing signals. At the end of November, the exploration vessel Oruc Reis, which searches the bottom of the sea for oil and gas, was withdrawn from the economic zone claimed by Greece. However, another ship of this type is still at sea south of Cyprus. Additionally, Turkey issued a new advisory for the shipment on Sunday. He wants to do target practice on Wednesday and Thursday off the small Greek island of Kastellorizo. This is only three kilometers from the Turkish coast; Navy ships from both countries collided in the area in August. Erdogan’s statement that the future of Cyprus can only be imagined as a divided island found displeasure in Brussels.
Human rights violations also in sight
Borrell did not want to comment on the consequences for Turkey on Monday, it was a matter for the heads of government. In late August, he presented the foreign ministers with options for new sanctions. “This list is still on the table,” said a senior official with the European External Action Service. First, more people and entities could be included in the existing regime due to gas drilling off Cyprus. So far, there are two high-level employees of the Turkish state energy company TPAO. Internally, Cyprus has nominated another five people and three subsidiaries of the group. The relevant files have long been ready. In the second stage, Borrell also considered sanctions against Turkish economic sectors. It could hit the tourism sector; this has also been discussed internally.
Luxembourg’s Chancellor Jean Asselborn put another option into play on Monday: the new sanctions regime for human rights violations, which ministers formally adopted on Monday. He hoped that this regime “will be a warning when it comes to human rights in Turkey,” Asselborn said. The heads of state and government are expected to make a landmark decision by the end of the week. It is up to the foreign ministers to implement them.
