On Wednesday 24 January, European Justice Commissioner Věra Jourova announced that the college of commissioners had confirmed the principle of a meeting between European and Turkish leaders "in the spring".
"A number of high level contacts is foreseen, among them a possible EU Turkey leaders meeting later this spring. The college confirms the principle of this meeting", she said, adding that the commissioners had had a long discussion about Turkey. It could be a meeting between the presidents of the Commission and European Council, Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boiko Borissov (whose country currently holds the presidency of the EU Council) and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan because, according to a European source, the conditions have not been met for a real summit.
Jourova also announced that the EU had already paid €1.85 billion of the €3 billion in aid to Syrian refugees in Turkey. The remaining funds will be disbursed by the end of the year, she added. "The college reiterated its earlier commitment to proceed the second tranche obviously under the same conditions as the first one", she said. The Europeans must come to an agreement on a second tranche of €3 billion.
Elsewhere, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini will meet Turkey's European Affairs Minister Ömer Çelik in Brussels on Thursday. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)