After “a long and difficult discussion”, according to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, EU leaders decided, on the evening of Thursday 1 October, to give Turkey time to continue its efforts in the Eastern Mediterranean and to give themselves time before taking action, if necessary, against it.
In its conclusions, the European Council thus states that it will continue to follow developments in the region closely and will return to the issue and take decisions, if necessary “at the latest at its December meeting”.
“We are proposing that Turkey choose”: either it continues the positive signals of the week by re-engaging in dialogue or we will take the necessary steps, explained French President Emmanuel Macron, at the end of the first working session of the Summit.
For the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, the European Union’s strategy is twofold: to give political dialogue a chance to progress towards greater stability in the region; and to remain firm on principles and values, in solidarity with Greece and Cyprus.
The dialogue between Turkey and Greece is a good thing, but it is regrettable that there is no constructive gesture towards Cyprus, added European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The European Council states that it has decided to launch a positive EU/Turkey political programme “provided constructive efforts [by Turkey] to stop illegal activities vis-à-vis Greece and Cyprus are sustained”. This programme will, according to the leaders, specifically focus on the modernisation of the Customs Union and trade facilitation, people to people contacts, high-level dialogues, continued cooperation on migration issues, in line with the 2016 EU-Turkey Statement.
On the other hand, in the event of new unilateral actions or provocations violating international law, the EU “will use all the instruments and the options at its disposal, including in accordance with Article 29 TEU and Article 215 TFEU”, in order to defend its interests and those of its Member States. These two articles deal with sanctions.
“The EU clearly threatens to take sanctions against Turkey if it continues to violate international law”, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz welcomed.
Finally, the European Council calls for a multilateral conference on the Eastern Mediterranean, which could address issues for which multilateral solutions are needed, including maritime delimitation, security, energy, migration and economic cooperation.
See the conclusions: https://bit.ly/3nhOKPB (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant, with Mathieu Bion and Pascal Hansens)