European Commissioner for Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said, on Wednesday 30 May, that there was no inappropriate use of armoured vehicles purchased with European funds in Turkey to assist border management. According to some media reports, the vehicles were armed and used to fire on refugees at the border between Turkey and Syria (see EUROPE 11995).
“There is no evidence to show that vehicles financed by the EU have been used to fire on refugees (...) and our research and control services have not been able to find such evidence”, Hahn explained to MEPs during a debate on the use of pre-accession funding (IPA) in Turkey. “I cannot conclude there is abusive use of such vehicles bought with European funding”, he added. He called on MEPs to give him any concrete evidence that they might have.
When quizzed by EUROPE, a European source said, on Thursday 31 May, that Europeans were in contact with the Turkish authorities on this matter and had received the latter’s assurance that the vehicles were used according to the terms of the contract, i.e. the vehicles were armoured but not armed.
During the debate, several MEPs, including the rapporteur on Turkey, Kati Piri (S&D, Netherlands) called for an investigation. “This must be the subject of a serious and thorough inquiry”, Piri said. She went on to point out that the IPA funds should help a state become a member of the EU. “Using such funds for armoured vehicles is dubious to say the least. It is unacceptable to use such vehicles to prevent refugees crossing borders – that is very serious indeed”, she added.
If such allegations are true, “this would mean that the funds allocated have been misused and that the Commission was an accomplice in that action”, said Marietje Schaake (ALDE, Netherlands). “There is the question of consequences. Turkey should give back the money and aid should be suspended until there is a real accountability mechanism”, she added.
The question of the Commission’s joint responsibility was also raised by Takis Hadjigeorgiou (GUE/NGL, Cyprus) and Bodil Valero (Greens/EFA, Sweden). According to the latter, while “the Commission says there is no problem”, “there are violations of fundamental rights and that is a particularly grave situation”. “Have migrants been killed with European money?” Hadjigeorgiou asked.
Funding cut by 40% for 2018-2020
Some MEPs also called for a freeze of IPA funding for Turkey. This would only be possible in the case of a freeze of Turkey’s membership talks, which is not the case. Hahn said that, although Austria and Denmark are against pre-accession aid, the other member states are in favour of keeping status quo.
Pointing out that, in October, the heads of state and/or government of member states had asked him to reflect on reduction and/or reorientation of pre-accession funds (see EUROPE 11888), the commissioner announced that he had proposed a reduction of 40% for 2018-2020, “with the rest for civil society or for the realisation of infrastructure, such as a railway line with Bulgaria”. He added that aid to civil society could go from indirect to direct management, through the EU delegation. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)