French MPs in bid to stop Turkey EU funds

The move by the French parliamentarians is "un-European and irrational," said Dr Bahadir Kaleagasi from Turkish business association TUSIAD. Speaking to EurActiv, he said "it has no other meaning than to manipulate French citizens' concerns over the current economic and social problems". 

"These French MPs are disseminating xenophobia and discrediting the international image of France as a country of democratic values and rational thinking," Kaleagasi said. 

"The EU funds for Turkey's accession are not significant amounts. Turkey does not need them for financial purposes," he said, adding that they "generate economic and strategic interests for the EU and France". 

"Only the chapter of EU environmental law creates for French companies in Turkey a market of over 50 billion euros," Kaleagasi stressed. "Moreover, Turkey is the most important rapidly growing economy in Europe. Turkey actually creates jobs in countries such as France and Germany. This is due to Turkey's considerable trade deficit vis-à-vis the EU and particularly in favour of France and Germany." 

"The net transfer of profits of the French companies operating in Turkey is also a significant added-value for the French economy. In this picture, the EU funds allocated to Turkey just play a role of encouraging some projects that transform Turkey into a better partner for the EU and promoting therefore French economic interests among others." 

"By acting in such an irrational way, these French MPs are cheating the economic interests of French citizens and common European interests in the international order. As for Turkey, we are confident that the mainstream French political position would not give credit to such moves and act in accordance with European values and interests."

Professor Dr. Hakan Yılmaz of the faculty of economics and administrative sciences at Bogazici University in Istanbul said that whilst the move by French MPs was "symbolically somewhat significant," in reality it was doomed to remain "a totally ineffective" attempt.

Whilst it may further fuel the already high Euroscepticism in Turkey, Turks are so used to such "blasts" from the French president that a more likely reaction "could very well be an indifferent shrugging," he said.

"It is doomed to remain ineffective because it is not up to a group of deputies in the French parliament to decide on how the EU will spend its funds […] the French centre-right is playing a very dangerous game of chicken with the rising French ultra-right in terms of 'which one of us is more against the Muslims, immigrants and Turks'," he added, warning that the winner of such games had almost always been the ultra-right.

Dr. Cengiz Aktar of Bahcesehir University denounced the move by the MPs as a populist one.

"As indicated, a year ago the same UMP parliamentarians but with less support than this year (they were 18) tried to disturb the yearly budgetary discussions for strictly populist purposes," Aktar said.

"Richard Mallié is a well-known activist against anything that recalls or involves Turkey, Turks and Islam. He is regrettably involved in the legitimate call of Armenians for justice. He represents the most archaic opposition to Turkey's membership, which slowly but surely seeps through into the action of the French business and cultural worlds."

"His recent initiative is so poor that the figures he uses are inaccurate and his call is inappropriate given the existing European procedures. Turkey's share in the Instrument for Pre-Accession amounts to €4.9 billion for the present budgetary period," Aktar remarked, describing the French backbenchers' knowledge of European procedures and values as particularly "pathetic".