On the evening of Wednesday 17 April, European leaders will discuss relations between the EU and Turkey following the publication last November of a joint communication on the subject by the European Commission and the High Representative.
According to a European source, the aim of this exchange will be to strike a balance on “how to say that committing Turkey to a positive agenda is in our common interest, but that this commitment must be gradual, proportionate and reversible, and above all that any commitment on the part of the Europeans is obviously linked to tangible proof of Turkey’s willingness to re-engage with the European Union on all fronts”. According to this source, these areas are: foreign policy, respect for the rule of law, the fight against circumventing sanctions against Russia and the Cyprus question.
According to the draft conclusions of 12 April obtained by Agence Europe (see EUROPE 13387/12), the European Council should request that work on the joint communication be taken forward in accordance with its previous conclusions and in a progressive, proportionate and reversible manner, subject to further guidance from the European Council, if necessary.
The European leaders should also recall that the EU attaches considerable importance to the resumption and progress of negotiations on the Cyprus settlement, “which can also strengthen cooperation between the EU and Turkey”.
See the draft conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/bs2 (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with the editorial staff)