The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stressed on Friday 19 March to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “the importance of sustained de-escalation and confidence building to enable a more positive EU-Turkey agenda”.
The three presidents met ahead of the European Council on 25-26 March, which will discuss relations with Turkey. According to a joint statement by Presidents von der Leyen and Michel, the discussion focused on the follow-up to the December European Council, the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, including the upcoming talks on the Cyprus settlement, and the state of bilateral relations. The situation of Syrian refugees in Turkey was also discussed, as was the wider regional situation, including Libya and Syria.
Mrs von der Leyen and Messrs Michel and Erdoğan also discussed a possible visit to Turkey after the European Council.
At the summit, leaders will discuss the report of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, which will cover “all bilateral developments, including migration”, according to Borrell. He said on 18 March that the aim was to obtain guidance from EU leaders on how to continue negotiations with Ankara.
The Heads of State or Government could return to the subject of Turkey at the June European Council. At their March summit, they could ask the Commission, in view of the June summit, to work on updating the migration agreement. There are several questions, including the amount of aid and where the funds would come from, but also whether the agreement would be limited to Turkey or extended to Lebanon and Jordan.
Similarly, the European Council could ask for work on updating the Customs Union. This update had already been promised as part of the migration agreement, but was suspended due to the deterioration of the Rule of law in Turkey. It could be subject to conditions related to matters outside the Customs Union.
Borrell will also meet the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in Brussels on Monday 22 March in the margins of the Foreign Affairs Council, which will also discuss relations with Turkey (see separate news item). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)