EU leaders are seeking additional sanctions against Turkey over the country’s “unauthorized drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean,” according to the final European Council summit conclusions.
The move comes as Reuters reported the U.S. is poised to impose its own sanctions against Turkey over its acquisition last year of Russian S-400 air defense systems, meaning Ankara could soon face restrictive measures from its two key Western partners.
The leaders gave the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell a mandate to present by March a report “on the state of play concerning the EU-Turkey political, economic and trade relations and on instruments and options on how to proceed, including on the extension and the scope” of the sanctions, meaning that they could hit companies and the Turkish vessels involved in the drilling activities.
The original text of the summit conclusions, presented on Wednesday to EU ambassadors, was changed to accommodate some Greek and Cypriot requests for a harder line, which were backed by France.
The text now includes some new language on migration, but a line — which appeared in a previous draft seen by POLITICO — saying that “the EU calls on Turkey for responsible management of migration flows” has not been included in the final document. A line saying Borrell’s report would also include “the functioning of the Customs Union” [between Turkey and the EU] didn’t make the final cut either.
The text also includes new language on Cyprus, which says the European Council “supports the speedy resumption of negotiations” for the reunification of the island within the U.N. framework and “it expects the same of Turkey.”
The text includes also some carrots for Ankara, stressing that “the offer of a positive EU-Turkey agenda remains on the table.”
Some diplomats said the EU sought to strike a balance with Ankara — a NATO member and a key ally on migration — using both carrot and stick to try to avoid an escalation. Many southern states including Italy and Spain favor a relatively soft line, as does Germany.
That approach is reflected in the fact the text does not, for example, contain an arms embargo demanded by Greece and also that there is no immediate decision to impose more sanctions.
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