The European Movement welcomes the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee report on the implications for the Justice and Home Affairs area of the accession of Turkey to the European Union.

 

We share the Committee’s position of continued support for Turkish membership, and endorse the overall argument that the risks Turkish accession poses for increased organised crime in the EU and augmented flows of irregular migrants would be considerably outweighed by potential benefits. Those benefits will manifest themselves both in terms of improvements in the systems and capabilities that will be necessary to bring Turkey in line with the rest of the EU and the unique opportunities it will bring for increased cooperation with EU law enforcement agencies and Europol.

 

Like the Committee, the European Movement is keen to see the EU – and other Member States – closely cooperate with the Turkish authorities on issues such as law enforcement, border controls, people smuggling and trafficking of drugs and people in advance of a resolution of other accession issues or the overall rate of progress towards accession. To keep flows of irregular migration from or through Turkey into the EU at a manageable level, there is a need for an increased role for Frontex in its current guise and step up its powers as a preventative instrument, working closely with Turkish border authorities.

 

A crucial factor in tackling irregular migration into the EU through Turkey is Greece’s commitment to address the issue in spite of their domestic problems, and the European Movement supports the country’s call for greater solidarity and burden-sharing between European Member States. Considering the importance of schemes like the Assisted Voluntary Return programme in alleviating the burden of irregular migrants, we back the Committee’s call for the EU to release emergency funding without the usually required matched funding while Greece is experiencing acute economic difficulties.

 

We recognise that Turkish accession to the EU would extend the Union’s external borders to a number of countries which pose a considerable security risk - notably Syria, Iran and Iraq. Therefore, the European Movement strongly agrees with the report’s conclusion that the ability of Turkey to control its borders is a prerequisite for accession. These conditions must be matched by a pre-accession aid package to assist the country in establishing an effective border management system and the UK should take a leading role in facilitating talks about such measures.

 

 

 

The European Movement is a cross-party organisation campaigning to inform the debate on European integration and promote understanding of what the EU does and how the UK benefits from EU membership.  Its president is Rt Hon Charles Kennedy MP.