The European Parliament has proposed to significantly cut the aid Turkey receives. This proposal comes at a time when Turkey is trying to become a member of the European Union.
Turkey receives 217 Mn Euros from the EU. Of this, upto 80 Mn Euros shall be cut in two stages. The first one of 50 mn Euros and the second worth 30 Mn Euros provided Turkey does not improve the condition of human rights in the country. Some EU member states have called for the funds to be diverted to NGOs based in Turkey instead of the Turkish Government.
The budget discussions were led by Siegfried Muresan who stated “Turkey is not respecting freedom of speech, freedom of expression, human rights and is drifting further away from European democratic standards,”. German Chancellor Angela Merkel too has been vocal against Turkey when it comes to the country’s recent political and social developments.
There are reports of gross human rights violations in Turkey after the failed coup attempt against Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish President. Regression of freedom of speech and expression, political violence, religious fundamentalism, have all festered in Turkey’s socio-political climate in recent months.
This post has been authored by Ravi Shankar from West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences.
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