The European Union announced on Friday it will not be able to meet Turkey's demand for an increase in funds aimed to help the country align itself with EU standards. A delegation consisting of nine members of the European Parliament's Committee on Budgets visited Turkey from May 2-4, 2012.

(...) Dehaene stated that the committee regularly visits the countries that benefit from EU funds in order to evaluate the results of the projects funded by the EU and the effects of EU policies.

“In our three-day visit to Turkey, we focused on the implementation of the IPA, which is a very important instrument for financing projects. Turkey is the beneficiary country that profits most from EU funds,” added Dehaene.

(...) “The EU accession process is not a process only for governments but also for the whole population. So, it is important to focus on the funding of civil society and local and regional projects. There is still only a small amount being allocated to civil society organizations,” said Färm.

Another member of the delegation, Jürgen Klute, stated there is a great gap between the eastern and western parts of Turkey. “Funds should be used to close the gap between Turkey’s east and west,” said Klute.

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