EU migration pact with Turkey on brink of collapse

Source:Financial Times Date:03Mar2020

As usual, EU members can’t agree on how to respond to Erdogan’s manuever. Regardless of what shall be decided,  EU won’t have the money to silence Mr Erdogan.
Will Turkey secure more EU money?
Despite his threats, Mr Erdogan will be anxious to renew his arrangements with the EU. European governments are currently at loggerheads over how to finance their next long-term budget which runs from 2021-2027.

The bloc is facing a post-Brexit funding squeeze that is likely to cut cash for spending projects like border patrols carried out by Frontex, the EU’s border management agency. Mr Erdogan may also want to get more funds funnelled directly to his government in future, rather than seeing them administered by third parties operating in his country.

But one senior EU official admits that despite all the bluster from all sides Europe cannot afford to let the deal slip. “The humanitarian consequences of a fresh migration crisis — especially for Turkey — are huge. We will do a deal but not at a point where it looks like we are being blackmailed,” said the official.