http://greece.greekreporter.com/201...ned-that-eu-turkey-migrant-deal-could-falter/
EC Chief Juncker Concerned that EU-Turkey Migrant Deal Could Falter
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Following the recent failed attempt of a military coup in Turkey, the EU member states have been holding their breath in fear that the recent EU-Turkey migrant deal might falter due to the fragile and unstable political situation on the ground.
It appears that member states are not alone in their weariness in regards to the situation in Turkey.
When news of the military coup first broke out in the late hours of Friday July 15, 2016, local time, Erdogan had targeted mostly military members placing them under arrest or conducting public executions, but in the days that have followed, he has since gone on a mass firing spree and imprisoned anyone who he feels opposes him, including Turkish military members, non-civil servants, teacher and professors, lawyers and judges, members of media outlets and journalists.
In a recent interview of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker by the newspaper Austrian Daily Kurier, Juncker expressed concerns that the deal may very well fall apart at any given moment.
“The risk is big. The success so far of the pact is fragile. President Erdogan has already hinted several times that he wants to scrap it…Then we can expect migrants to start coming to Europe again,” Juncker told the newspaper set to be published Saturday.
The news is not welcomed throughout the EU, particularly in Greece, which is the country having to deal with the brunt of the migrant flow into the EU. According to ekathimerini.com, recent government data reveals that there are around 57,182 migrants and asylum-seekers currently in Greece.
A major concern for Juncker and the rest of the EU is that a mere three days after the failed coup, a group of Turkish officials assigned to monitor the migration deal on the Greek side returned home, and have yet to be replaced.
Also, another concern Juncker addressed in the interview is that many EU countries are not living up the EU’s rule of law regarding migration.
Many countries are refusing to accept migrants into resettlement programs, such as Poland’s government, as well as the Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban who called migration a “poison” earlier this week saying that his country “does not need a single migrant.”
The governments of both countries are currently ruled by right-winged political parties, who have focused on closing their borders to foreigners and promoting nationalism.
Poland’s government has recently received a three-month deadline to reverse the recent changes it has made to its Constitutional Court regarding not allowing migrants to resettle in the country.
Hungary is also holding a referendum on October 2 regarding the EU quota scheme for migrants.
“In Poland the government’s course of action has damaged the rule of law…I am watching with concern preparations for Hungary’s referendum on migration,” Juncker said.
“The Commission should really — although we’re not that far yet — launch a breach of treaty procedure against Hungary,” he concluded.
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As Turkish authorities on Friday widened their sweeping post-coup crackdown to the business sector, the European Union's enlargement commissioner implicitly warned that the bloc would freeze Turkey's accession talks if the crackdown violated the rule of law.
The deadly July 15th rebellion unsuccessfully tried to unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has since launched a radical purge against anyone suspected of complicity.
Turkish authorities blame the coup on US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen and now seek to weed out his followers from all aspects of Turkish life, including the military, legal system, media and education.
An AFP reporter saw 21 journalists gripped by police and marched into an Istanbul courtroom, where prosecutors requested that 20 of them be remanded in custody and one released under judicial supervision.
They were among dozens of journalists and former newspaper staff hit with arrest warrants earlier this week under a three-month state of emergency, to the anger of rights groups.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu defended the detention of reporters, saying it was necessary to distinguish between coup plotters and those "who are engaged in real journalism".
The probe into coup plotters widened its scope to the financing of Gulen's activities in Turkey, with what appeared to be the first major arrests targeting the business world.
Security forces in the central city of Kayseri detained the chairman of the prominent family-owned Boydak Holding company, Mustafa Boydak, and two other top executives, state-run Anadolu news agency said.
Erdogan meanwhile lashed out at a top US general who had expressed concerns about military relations after the putsch.
Quoted by US media, US Central Command chief General Joseph Votel said Thursday that the coup bid and subsequent round-up of dozens of generals could affect American cooperation with Turkey.
"You are taking the side of coup plotters instead of thanking this state for defeating the coup attempt," Erdogan said in angry remarks at a military centre in Golbasi outside Ankara, where air strikes left dozens dead during the coup.
Votel swiftly denied any link to the coup however.
"Any reporting that I had anything to do with the recent unsuccessful coup attempt in Turkey is unfortunate and completely inaccurate," he said in a statement.
"Turkey has been an extraordinary and vital partner in the region for many years. We appreciate Turkey's continuing cooperation and look forward to our future partnership in the counter-ISIL fight," Votel said, referring to the Islamic State group.
Following a shake-up of the military on Thursday after nearly half of its 358 generals were sacked, the top brass of the reshuffled armed forces met Erdogan at his presidential palace in Ankara.
Ninety-nine colonels have been promoted to generals and admirals, although Chief of staff General Hulusi Akar -- who was held hostage during the coup attempt -- stayed in his post along with the heads of the navy, land and air forces.
Turkey insisted its military would keep up the fight against IS jihadists and other militants, dismissing concerns that the forces would be weakened.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim also announced that all military barracks used by the coup plotters on July 15th would be closed down.
According to the state-run Anadolu news agency 49,211 passports have been cancelled and 18,044 people have been detained since the coup.
But a Turkish official said 3,500 of those detained have now been released after questioning.
EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn said he needed to see "black-and-white facts about how these people are treated".
"And if there is even the slightest doubt that the (treatment) is improper, then the consequences will be inevitable," he told German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
Turkey has also ordered the closure of a total of 131 newspapers, TV channels and other media outlets, while in total more than 50,000 people have lost their jobs.
Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999, strongly denies the charges against him and has called on the United States to resist Ankara's pressure for his extradition.
Turkey meanwhile warned Kazakhstan over its schools linked to Gulen, a day after a similar warning to the Central Asian nation's neighbour Kyrgyzstan.
In Germany, home to Turkey's biggest overseas diaspora, tens of thousands of Erdogan supporters plan to rally in Cologne on Sunday, following skirmishes between the president's backers and opponents which have put authorities on edge.
http://www.thelocal.de/20160730/well-freeze-turkey-talks-warns-eu-as-erdogan-crushes-opposition
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Our allies once again talking to us in a very amicable and level-headed manner...I can't wait until the refugees flood their precious fucking Union then we will see how strong their commitment to "European" values are. Why do we put up with these pricks? Tear apart the refugee agreement and watch them disintegrate...starting from Hungary and Poland. Then the pig Hahn will see what "consequences" really are
