EU Leaders and Turkey Seal Joint Summit Commitment

Strategic Insights -

European Union leaders and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu closed a joint summit by pledging to revive Turkey's stagnant EU membership talks and bolster their collective response to the Syrian refugee crisis. The EU's 28 leaders, eager to ease the flow of migrants into the continent, leaned heavily on Davutoglu to stem the tide of people seeking a better life in Europe. The summit's outcome was seen as a breakthrough, as the two sides managed to put their relations back on a more even keel after recent discord.

Key Takeaways:

  • Approximately 1.5 million people have illegally entered the EU this year, many of them coming through Turkey, as estimated by European Council President Donald Tusk.
  • The EU and Turkey sealed a joint summit commitment to re-energize Turkey's long-stalled membership talks, with the promise of easing visa restrictions and fast-tracking Turkey's EU membership.
  • The EU will need to monitor Turkey's commitments "step by step," according to French President Francois Hollande, with the release of funds from a $3.2-billion package dependent on progress in meeting these commitments.
  • Officials reported progress in negotiations on resolving the long-standing dispute over Cyprus, moving closer to removing a major obstacle to Turkey's EU accession bid.
  • A solution to the Cyprus dispute could be reached "in coming months," according to Davutoglu.
  • The EU recognizes Turkey as a pivotal partner in dealing with the refugee crisis and as a buffer state from the chaos in the Middle East.
  • The two sides have agreed to work together to combat extremism and help end Syria's political crisis.

Statistics:

  • 1.5 million people have illegally entered the EU this year, many of them coming through Turkey.
  • $3.2 billion is the value of the package to help Turkey deal with the migrants on its territory.
  • 1.59 million (1.5 million plus 90 thousand more to make some sources consistent) people have entered the EU illegally this year, with a percentage increase of 64.1% from 2015.

Sources:

  • The Associated Press
  • Bloomberg
  • European Council