Greek MEP to EU: Cut All Funding to Turkey Now
A Greek MEP is demanding the European Commission immediately suspend all EU funding to Turkey over what he calls a direct provocation against Greek sovereignty.
Giorgos Avtias, a New Democracy MEP representing the European People's Party, submitted a formal question to the Commission this week after Turkey unilaterally declared marine parks extending into the northern Aegean and the waters around Kastellorizo, areas that fall well beyond Turkish territorial waters.
Turkey remains a candidate country and continues to receive pre-accession funding from Brussels, despite years of stalled negotiations and repeated disputes with EU member states Greece and Cyprus.
In his submission, Avtias accused Turkey of manufacturing facts on the ground at the expense of Greek sovereign rights, and by extension, the EU itself. He called on the Commission to act beyond statements and respond with concrete measures, citing precedent for suspending funding to third countries that threaten EU member states.
Avtias specifically referenced the areas around Kastellorizo as a focal point of the Turkish declarations, a region that has been at the center of Aegean tensions for years. His demand was not a recommendation for review or a call for dialogue, it was a direct request for a full and immediate cutoff of European financial flows to Ankara.
Turkey remains a candidate country for EU accession and continues to receive pre-accession funding from Brussels, despite years of stalled negotiations and repeated disputes with EU member states Greece and Cyprus. The total EU funding Turkey receives annually runs into hundreds of millions of euros.
The Commission has not yet responded publicly to the question. Avtias said he hopes for swift intervention and pointed to cases where Brussels acted against other third countries threatening member states.
