EUParliament Budget Committee Chair Arthuis to EuroFora: Grants to Turkey only if conditions are met

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- While MEPs denounce Restrictions of -522 Miilions € less in commitments and - 2,3 Billions less in payments in 2015 Budget, even in Research, Innovation, Education, Competitiveness and Humanitarian crisis'response, nevertheless, Turkey is to be paid about 1 Billion € in full Grants, unless it doesn't respect its obligations vis a vis the EU, confirmed the President of EU Parliament's Budget Committee, experienced, former long-time Minister (since the 1990ies, with former President Chirac, etc), and Party Leader, French MEP Jean Arthuis, speaking to "EuroFora", the same days that Warships accompagnying Turkish underseas "exploration" vessels are provocatively sent by Ankara's Government to intrude in EU Member State Cyprus' exclusive economic zone, where on-going  oil-gas findings seem promissing for imminent further discoveries of natural Energy resouces badly needed by Energy-thirsty EU, which would otherwise continue to depend only on Foreign, 3rd Countries and dangerous, expensive and long Transport routes.

President Arthuis has just got a Strong, 464 MEPs' Votes-backed, against only 186, EU Parliament's mandate, after Today's Vote on a Resolution for the 2015 Budget, to Negotiate with EU Council another deal, hopefuly before the End of this year (2014). The overall debate in Strasbourg included also an almost 5 Billions € delay in payments for commitments of the last years (2013-2014), which is obviously an additional big problem to solve with Inter-Institutional, intra-EU Negotiations between EU Parliament and EU Council, as he reminded us, on this same occasion.

But, meanwhile, EU Parliament Budget Committee Head's Timely observation about Turkey's commitments and obligations vis a vis the EU, as a normal condition for continuing to pay about 1 Billion € in full Grants also next Year (2015), even if core EU policies, such as Scientific Research and Technological Innovation, Competitiveness, Education, Humanitarian issues, etc, possibly suffer from  a sharp Reduction between - 522 Millions € in payments and - 2,3 Billions € in commitments that same Year 2015 (Comp. Supra), was preceded by relevant Topical statements from the New EU Commission's President, former long-time Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Jean-Claude Juncker, as well as EU Parliament's own President, German MEP Martin Schulz, also on Turkey :

- When EU faces Today one among its "Biggest Challenges" on how to cover its "Energy" needs, "what does the EU do in order to defend its Natural (re)sources", at least "in the Exclusive Economic Zone of an EU Member Country"(Cyprus), which "is Violated now by a Candidate Country (Turkey) ?", asked, (carefuly reading out  a prepared written question), one of the numerous collegues from Cyprus who have just arrived exceptionaly in Strasbourg for this session.

Both Juncker and Schultz pointed mainly at the new EU High Representative on External policies, f. Fodeign Minister of Italy, Federica Mogherini :

 - "I will discuss this question with Mrs Mogherini, because she is in charge of this kind of issues, and then Mr Johanes Han, who is in charge of Neighborhood (EU policy), and then, we'd come to a Conclusion, and take all the needed Actions", promissed Juncker.

 - "The Conference of Presidents decided, yesterday to put it on the Agenda of the Parliament and also to debate the role of Turkey in that regard. I we take note that the Rights of a Sovereign Member Country of the (European) Union, as the Republic of Cyprus, are Violated by a Candidate State, then, we have to Act. And that's the reason why we (EU Parliament) asked from the (EU Commission's) High Representative (on Foreign policy, f. Italian Minister Federica Mogherini) for a Declaration. This is not yet a Judgement, but you see that the European Parliament is taking that very seriously", added Schulz.

Concerning particularly the key role of incoming new EU High Representative for External Action, f. Italian Foreign Minister, Federica Mogherini, later this Afternoon, the President of EU Parliament's Socialdemocrat Group, Italian MEP Gianni Pittella, speaking to Journalists, including "EuroFora", stressed that Mogherini is expected to act for " a Value that we regard as Crucial : EU Solidarity", both inside and outside of Union's borders, as he pointed out, speaking shortly after the above-mentioned Juncker-Schulz anouncements on Turkish Warships violating Cyprus' territorial waters inside the Oil/Gas Energy searches exclusive economic zone, (Comp. Supra).

But, meanwhile, EU Citizens, as well as Politicians, will probably have to check even if ... EU Money given to Turkey (including by Poor People who pay VAT in EU Member Countries) didn't, in fact, arrive even up to ... Islamic Extremist Terrorist BeHeaders of "ISIS", given the fact that, as experienced, mainstream Brittish MEP from the Governing Conservative Party, Dr. Charles Tannock, a long-time Foreign Affairs Spokesman, observed later this Afternoon, at EU Parliament's Plenary Debate on Kobane,

Turkey has not yet clarified its position regarding rumours that it persists to help "ISIS" through its own territory, as it did also in the Past, (notoriously a corridor for various other Armed Groups, indeed), nor dd Ankara reveal the Content of its recent Agreement negotiated with that same ISIS, in order to convince it to exceptionaly free, (in an astonishingly Good Shape, as if they were returning back from Touristic Holidays ! ) all Turcs detained at Mosoul, contrary to the Atrocities faced by almost all other Countries' Hostages...

A fortiori, when, as it's well known, (particularly to several German MEPs of the Governing ChristianDemocrat/EPP Party), EU's Court of Auditors has repeatedly denounced the fact that many EU Grants to Turkey have been spend without any real Proof on where exactly  (and/or : What for) did all that Money really go...  An obvious Discrepancy, which had led certain MEPs to table Amendments to EU's Annual Budgets, in recent years, clearly asking to "Suspend" or "Freeze", totally or partialy, the flow of EU Money given to Turkish National Authorities under pretext of a notoriously controversial and unpopular EU bid.

Meanwhile, Cyprus' National Council, which brings together all political parties, has just decided that, among a series of various Measures in response of the provocations by Turkish warships inside the island's EEZ, Nicosia won't accept, no more, any opening of any more Chapters to the Inter-Governemental EU - Turkey Negotiations, while Cyprus' President Nicos Anastassiades has reportedly sent also a Letter denouncing the interference by Turkish Warships to UNO's Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. 

     After USA's "Noble Energy", also Italy's and South Korea's ENI/KOGAS were due to start drilling towards the End of 2014, while France's TOTAL would follow at the beginning of 2015.
 

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