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The European Union would likely be a productive mediator and not an antagonist as it is now. But it's not too late for the bloc to play a positive role.

After German mediation efforts were torpedoed by Greece signing a maritime delimitation deal with Egypt a day before the planned joint Turkish-Greek declaration, Turkey decided to continue its drilling activities within its continental shelf.

Greece, pushed by France, continues to escalate the rhetoric and threatens Turkey with European sanctions if Turkey does not stop its activities. The escalation between the neighbours has led to minor incidents in the sea and the airspace over the eastern Mediterranean.

What currently is being described as a major escalation, can be resolved. To find a path forward, one can speculate over the hypothetical: how might the disagreement have evolved if Turkey was a member of the European Union?

In the early years of the AK Party government, Ankara's relationship with the EU was flourishing, and the acceleration process came to a point where the EU membership seemed well within reach for Turkey.

However, the leadership in Europe proved unwilling to accept Turkey as a member state. Since then, both sides drifted apart but have tried to preserve the relationship as much as possible. If Turkey had become a member, today's escalation in the eastern Mediterranean would seem less intractable.

In such a scenario, the EU would be within an equal distance from both of its member states, the possible oil and gas resources would be seen as a common interest to minimise Turkey's and southern Europe's dependence on Russian gas. The disagreement over maritime boundaries would be discussed in a fair manner, and most likely EU member states would argue based on international law and equity.

Most likely, the Greek claims for the island of Meis (Kastellorizo) would not find any genuine support in the EU. The issue could quite easily be solved through an informal meeting of European leaders.

French, Italian, Turkish and energy companies of other nations would compete for lucrative opportunities in the eastern Mediterranean, and by rapidly solving the crisis and joining hands, the EU would reduce its dependency on foreign energy imports. With gas and oil discoveries and the growing trend of moving to renewable energy, the EU's energy policy would be more independent than ever before.

Even though this parallel world sounds idyllic, the realities right now are on the opposite end of the spectrum. Out of solidarity with Greece, the EU member states are putting their weight behind Athens' maximalist approach.

France, which itself rejected the same claims that Greece is making today, in its own dispute with the United Kingdom over the Channel Islands, is now Athens' strongest advocate. The animosity from Paris towards Ankara due to disagreements in Syria and Libya, and the idea of solidarity within the EU, is playing a destructive role.

France has become more visible, but the entirety of the European Union now backs the irrational Greek claims and is condemning Turkish drilling activities. This is despite the fact that current drilling activities are taking place in an area where Greek claims are the weakest.

At the moment, the EU has threatened Turkey with sanctions to be declared on the next official summit between the EU member states. European Council President Charles Michel stated that the EU will not only use sticks but also carrots to convince Turkey.

Although this approach by the EU is better than the 'only stick' approach by the US, it likely won't succeed. Contrary to the past, Turkey now also has sticks and carrots to use against the EU in general, and specific member states within the EU in particular.

Additionally, there seems to be no stick long enough, and no carrot big enough, to prevent Ankara from gaining energy independence a dream for Turks since the foundation of the Turkish Republic.

Turkey's threat perception in on high alert due to illegal Greek activities in the Aegean Sea, and the EU is ignoring that factor. In spite of several international treaties, the Greeks have militarised several islands and declared its intention to expand the territorial waters of its islands from 6 nautical miles to 12 miles.

Due to the high density of Greek islands, increasing the territorial waters regime in the Aegean Sea would cut off Turkey and its link between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, the Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean. This would be a massive blow to the economy of the region.

Despite the current escalation, it is still not too late to find a comprehensive solution, but for this, the EU has to change its attitude and act as a mediator and not a provocateur.

Imagining how different the EU would have reacted if Turkey had become an EU member state. Right now, the EU needs to build trust with Turkey and prove that it is willing to facilitate negotiations on an equal footing. For that purpose, the EU can organise an unofficial EU and Turkey meeting just as if Turkey was a member of the EU.

Genuine incorporation of Turkish interests on an equal basis into an informal discussion between EU states will help to solve the crisis without further escalation.

This major meeting can function as the framework for further Turkish-Greek negotiations to resolve the conflict and settle the disagreement. For this option to have any chance, more genuine actors such as Germany, Spain and Bulgaria could play a more active role instead of actors such as France and Austria who are partly motivated by domestic politics.

A joint unofficial meeting between the leaders or foreign ministers of the European Union and Turkey could change the entire atmosphere from one of antagonism and escalation to one geared towards resolution.

In the second step, depending on the terms of the agreement in the summit, an international court, direct negotiations, or mediation by the Swiss as a non-EU state could be a way forward to a win-win solution.

At the end of the day, the exploration of gas and oil in the Mediterranean would benefit both the EU and Turkey while undercutting Russia, Iran, and the Gulf states.

Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints and editorial policies of TRT World.

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What would the eastern Mediterranean look like if Turkey was in the EU? - TRT World

The European Union condemns in the strongest possible terms the assassination attempt on Alexei Navalny, who was poisoned by a military chemical nerve agent of the Novichok group, similar to the one used in the assassination attempt on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury on 4 March 2018.

The use of chemical weapons is completely unacceptable under any circumstances, constitutes a serious breach of international law and international human rights standards. The European Union calls for a joint international response and reserves the right to take appropriate actions, including through restrictive measures.

This new assassination attempt on a Russian citizen took place on the territory of the Russian Federation. The Russian government must do its utmost to investigate this crime thoroughly in full transparency and bring those responsible to justice. Impunity must not and will not be tolerated. The European Union calls upon the Russian Federation to fully cooperate with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to ensure an impartial international investigation.

We are grateful to the Charit Universittsmedizin hospital in Berlin for the treatment of Mr Navalny and wish him a prompt and full recovery.

The European Union will continue to closely follow the issue and consider its implications.

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Russia: Declaration of the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the poisoning of Alexei Navalny - EU News

Photographer: Adem Altan/AFP via Getty Images

Photographer: Adem Altan/AFP via Getty Images

The European Union will offer Turkey incentives to strike a deal with Greece and Cyprus over maritime claims while also preparing sanctions against Ankara if mediation fails, a senior official in Brussels said.

The carrot and stick approach will be followed during a summit of the blocs leaders set for Sept. 24-25, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity following a call between EU Council President Charles Michel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday over tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The call came as strains between Turkey and Greece, both NATO members, over contested territorial waters have been mounting in recent weeks as the Turkish government pursues energy exploration in the region.

The recent row has raised concerns about a potential military confrontation between the two countries, which have key positions on the alliances southeastern flank.

Greece says islands must be taken into account in delineating a countrys continental shelf, in line with the UN Law of the Sea, which Turkey hasnt signed. Ankara argues that a countrys continental shelf should be measured from its mainland. It says that the disputed area south of the Greek island of Kastellorizo -- a few kilometers off Turkeys southern coast -- therefore falls within its exclusive zone.

Competing claims over the Eastern Mediterranean

Sources: Turkeys Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Anadolu Agency; Greek government; Flanders Marine Institute

The 27-nation EU is engaged in a balancing act over Turkey, seeking to defend the sovereignty of member countries Greece and Cyprus while holding out hope that diplomatic initiatives can ease tensions with a strategically important partner. Turkey plays a key role in limiting the risk of another influx of Middle Eastern refugees into the EU.

Heres What Is at Stake as Turkey-Greece Tensions Rise Again

Michel has called a meeting of EU leaders for this month to discuss the situation in the region and the blocs relations with Turkey more broadly. During his call with Erdogan, Michel reiterated that the EU stands in solidarity with Greece and Cyprus but also wants a constructive relationship with Turkey, the official said.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, meanwhile, said that in order for talks between the two sides to start, Turkey must first stop its threats.

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EU to Consider All Measures on Turkey in Maritime Dispute - Bloomberg

Big Tech has to pay a "fair amount" of taxes in Europe, especially as they are the "real winners" of the coronavirus crisis, a top European official told CNBC Saturday.

His comments come amid an ongoing rift between the United States and the European Union over the taxation of companies such as Apple, Alphabet and Amazon.

"It is a major problem," Paolo Gentiloni, European Commissioner for economics and taxation, told CNBC at the European House Ambrosetti Forum, acknowledging the difficulty in overcoming differences with the United States.

The giants of the digital platforms are the real winners of this crisis.

Paolo Gentiloni

European Commissioner

However, the former Italian prime minister added that it was no longer possible "to accept the idea that those giants, the winners of the crisis, are not paying a fair amount of taxes in Europe."

In 2018, the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, proposed a 3% digital levy, arguing that the tax system needed to be updated for the digital age. However, the White House said a digital tax was unfair as it disproportionately impacted American firms.

At the time, the European Commission said digital companies, on average,pay an effective tax rate of 9.5% compared to 23.2% for traditional businesses.

However, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, Big Tech has got a boost, with many consumers relying on these companies for teleworking, shopping and staying connected.

"The giants of the digital platforms are the real winners of this crisis, from the economical point of view,"Gentiloni added. "We all experience this in our own lives."

Meanwhile, governments are in desperate need of additional funding and imposing new taxes is one key way of achieving this.

In this context, the EU is looking to propose a new digital tax in 2021 if negotiations at the OECD-level collapse by year-end.

"If we will not have decent results at the global level, the European Commission will come out next year with our own a proposal," Gentiloni said.

In a blow to negotiations, the United States pulled out of talks in June raising doubts about any feasible progress this year.

Gentiloni said there had been progress at the technical level, but the upcoming presidential election in the United States was impacting the process.

"We are in an electoral year in the U.S. and I think this also has an influence," he said, adding that, nonetheless, the EU needed "to insist on the necessity of a global solution."

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Tech giants are the 'winners' of the coronavirus crisis and should pay more tax, Europe official says - CNBC

The EU Council has rejected a Covid-inspired European Commission proposal for a 40 billion warchest to help coal-dependent regions shift to renewables, with the heads of member states instead allocating 17.5 billion. Despite the final figure being 10 billion higher than that suggested by the commission before coronavirus battered Europe, questions have been asked about how useful the program will be.

In a Covid-19-free Europe, a decision by the leaders of European Union member states this summer to allocate 7.5 billion to the Just Transition Fund (JTF) for fossil fuel-dependent regions might have been cheered by environmentalists as unequivocal backing of the ambitious plans of the European Commission for the blocs energy transition.

After all, that was exactly the figure suggested by the commission in January when it announced the fund, which is intended chiefly to help coal-dependent EU regions mitigate the social impacts of the switch to renewable energy generation.

However, the subsequent impact of Covid-19 in Europe prompted the Brussels policymakers in May, at the behest of member states, to suggest raising the stakes by increasing the JTF contribution made directly from the EU budget for 2021-27 from 7.5 billion to 10 billion. The commission also proposed beefing up the JTF with a further 30 billion from a new cash pile it was proposing to help the continent recover from the coronavirus the 750 billion Next Generation EU fund.

With expectations duly raised, the national leaders who make up the European Council in July approved creation of the Covid recovery fund but stipulated it would supply 10 billion, rather than 30 billion towards the JTF, and that the direct contribution from the blocs 2021-27 budget would revert to the 7.5 billion originally mooted by the commission.

Slimmer budget, slimmer transition hopes?

The dilution of the Just Transition Fund, from the 40 billion suggested in May to 17.5 billion, has raised questions about how effective the money will be in persuading coal-dependent regions to embrace renewables.

The JTF itself is part of a wider Just Transition Mechanism which also includes a program to attract private investment into renewables, under the blocs InvestEU platform, and a public sector loan facility, although both those measures are also likely to have slimmer budgets than those suggested by the commission in May.

Nikos Mantzaris, a senior policy analyst at Athens-based thinktank The Green Tank, criticized the Just Transition plans as overly favoring energy transition laggards such as Poland ahead of nations like Greece and Hungary, which have already progressed much further down the path to a renewables-based energy mix.

EU member states applying for Just Transition support have to draw up territorial transition plans identifying regions most heavily impacted by the switch to renewables and also outline their planned green recoveries to 2030.

With those plans requiring approval by the commission,Mantzaris told pv magazine: The criteria proposed by the European Commission for the allocation of funds are unfair and do not take into account key considerations. Specifically, the speed of transition away from coal and lignite is not accounted for and the same is true for the extent of dependence of the local economies on coal and lignite. As a result, member states which have not yet committed to phase out coal, such as Romania, Czechia or Bulgaria, or have not even yet accepted the climate neutrality objective, such as Poland, receive very large sums, leaving countries like Greece, Slovakia, Portugal or Hungary which have made far more ambitious commitments regarding the dirtiest fuel on the planet with utterly insufficient funds to implement the transition.

The standard of national and regional governance could also be key to the success of a slimmed down Just Transition program. Member states which engage communities in the most impacted regions and draw green transition plans in an open and transparent manner may have more success than those which do not and may also attract more private-sector finance for clean energy too.

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Will a watered down EU Just Transition Fund still be effective? - pv magazine International