Turkish EU Membership to Cost up to €28 Billion per Year

Reported on in several German newspapers, the study says that Ankara's joining the 25-nation Union would be a "challenge with great opportunities for both sides." However, the report, which next week will be used as a basis for commissioners to decide whether to recommend Turkey start membership negotiations, warns that once Turkey is in the EU, it could cost up to €27.9 billion annually. Assuming that Turkey joins in 2015, under current EU law it would be entitled to net transfers from between €22.1 billion to €33.5 billion a year from 2025. Ankara itself would have to pay €5.6 billion to Brussels meaning a net payment to Turkey of €27.9 billion euro. The Süddeutsche Zeitung reports on a second paper that looks at the situation in Turkey itself. Here the report concludes that Turkey has "substantially neared European standards" but that there continues to be numerous cases of torture and maltreatment, however, it says that torture is no longer "systematic." The study does not itself look at the possible number of migrants coming from Turkey to the rest of the EU, but rather draws on other studies that have looked at this issue, according to the daily. These various studies put the possible number of migrants from anything between 500,000 to four million - most of which are expected to head to Germany. (EUobserver.com)