N-VA says no to free pass for Turkey: “Quid pro quo”

The European heads of state and government leaders meet again about the asylum crisis and an agreement with Turkey. A stricter draft text is now on the table. It is striking that various proposals for which the N-VA has advocated for months are now fully supported by almost al EU member states. “Tackling the asylum crisis currently requires cooperation with Turkey, but does not call for selling off the essentials of what it is to be European” European Parliament member Sander Loones remarks. “Apparently, European Council President Donald Tusk has also had enough of the European sell-out by Ms. Merkel, who wants to sign a blank cheque over to Turkey and blindly agree to all Turkish demands. Donald Tusk’s proposals put an end to her ‘Wir schaffen das’ sell-off policy and replace it with a quid pro quo approach.”

“Turkey will have to prove itself first,” according to Sander Loones. “Does it want to see Syrians relocated to Europe? Then Turkey will first have to establish the push-back policy that we are demanding and ensure that the illegal migration figure decreases substantially. The same goes for the visa liberalisation that must allow the Turkish to travel to the EU more easily: Turkey will first have to make the necessary efforts in order to satisfy the requirements.”

Turkey not joining EU

During the past weeks there has been significant concern over Turkey’s possible accession to the European Union. The draft text does not respond to the Turkish demand for concrete dates for accession negotiations, and instead only provides for preparations to be made in order to subsequently open new negotiation chapters. “At the same time, it refers to the evaluation report from the European Commission in October 2015, which was not positive at all for Turkey,” Sander Loones clarifies. “But even if the Commission were to reach a different conclusion, even if it were to judge positively across the board, then the member states must still unanimously approve of the accession. And with the N-VA in government, that European unanimity is unlikely to be reached. Turkey simply does not belong in the EU.”

Maximum limit

Donald Tusk’s proposal clearly reaches further than what was initially tabled. “The N-VA has been saying for months that there should be a maximum limit to the number of asylum seekers that can be provided shelter in the EU. The basis of such a limit is now also included in this text for the first time. Diplomats confirm that when that limit has been reached, it will not be automatically increased, but there’s more. The focus is no longer just on the Mediterranean Sea route with boats. The agreement states that all routes, both sea routes and land routes, must be dealt with.”

Strengthening borders

It is clear that closing the borders at the North of Greece, by which Greece was effectively isolated, did not fail to have effect. “We need more of that,” Sander Loones states. “We must again take the reins into our own hands. Today a deal with the Turks is necessary because government leaders, led by Angela Merkel, have neglected our borders for years. By strengthening those borders and starting from our own European strength, we can once again determine the course of the game. We must not remain dependent on Turkish blackmail,” Sander Loones concludes.