Saturday

3rd Jun 2023

EU billions had 'limited' effect in Turkey, audit finds

  • Erdogan: lack of political will to modernise since 2013 (Photo: Reuters)

The EU got "limited" effect for the €9bn it spent trying to modernise Turkey in recent years, auditors have said.

EU funds spent on improving rule of law, governance, and democratic standards "insufficiently addressed some fundamental needs", the European Court of Auditors (ECA) said in Luxembourg on Wednesday (14 March).

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

Funds spent on impartiality of judges, anti-corruption measures, organised crime, and press freedom "barely addressed some fundamental needs," it said.

Turkey had been "backsliding" on reforms since 2013 due to "lack of political will", the ECA added.

It "worsened" the situation "by the large-scale dismissals, suspensions of public officials, and restrictions on civil society" as part of president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's "repressive post-coup measures" from 2016 onward, the ECA said.

The post-coup crackdown "undermined Turkey's position vis-a-vis the EU" and "affected Turkey's administrative capacity" by their "sheer scale", it said.

"We therefore consider that the [€9 billion] effectiveness was only limited," the ECA said.

The EU audit noted that Turkey bore the greater responsibility for how the money was used because the Central Finance and Contracts Unit in Erdogan's treasury managed 85 percent of the EU spending.

But it also criticised the European Commission for failing to impose stricter conditions on how its funds were used - in a lesson for EU enlargement policy in the Western Balkans.

The ECA report comes ahead of EU leaders' plans to discuss Turkey relations at a summit in Brussels next week.

It also comes ahead of an EU-Turkey summit in March and a commission progress report on Turkey in April, setting the scene for EU decisions of future funds for Turkey in the EU's post-2020 budget.

The ECA report looked at a small sample of projects implemented in the EU programme between 2007 and 2016 and visited Turkey for two weeks last year as part of its assessment.

It looked at EU-funded projects such as creating a network of judicial spokespersons, improving border surveillance on the Turkey-Syria and Turkey-Iraq boundaries, and buying IT equipment for anti-money laundering bureaus.

The report noted that 75 percent of Turkish NGOs or other associations advocating civil rights had vanished in Erdogan's 2016 post-coup measures.

It added that the commission had "systematically reported serious attacks against press freedom in Turkey" ever since that time.

EU-Turkey migrant deal redundant, rights chief says

Nils Muiznieks, human rights commissioner at the Council of Europe watchdog, said people would no longer cross into Greece from Turkey due to difficulties getting further - regardless of the EU migrant deal with Ankara.

Rights watchdog to visit Turkey over rule of law

The Strasbourg-based human rights watchdog, the Council of Europe, is heading to Ankara next week. The trip follows new plans by Ankara to meet EU demands for reforms in areas like anti-terror legislation.

EU seeks another €3bn Turkey migrant deal

Money should flow despite concerns about the Turkish regime, the Commission said. EU should "pressure" African states to take back unwanted migrants, it added.

Opinion

Moria refugee camp is no place for people

Two years on from the highly-controversial EU-Turkey deal, many thousands of refugees are still trapped on Greek islands. One of them offers an open invitation to EU leaders to see their inhospitable conditions at the Moria refugee camp on Lesbos.

Latest News

  1. Spanish PM to delay EU presidency speech due to snap election
  2. EU data protection chief launches Frontex investigation
  3. Madrid steps up bid to host EU anti-money laundering hub
  4. How EU leaders should deal with Chinese government repression
  5. MEPs pile on pressure for EU to delay Hungary's presidency
  6. IEA: World 'comfortably' on track for renewables target
  7. Europe's TV union wooing Lavrov for splashy interview
  8. ECB: eurozone home prices could see 'disorderly' fall

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  2. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable
  3. World BankWorld Bank Report Highlights Role of Human Development for a Successful Green Transition in Europe
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic summit to step up the fight against food loss and waste
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersThink-tank: Strengthen co-operation around tech giants’ influence in the Nordics
  6. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us