German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said Germany is "ready to offer support" on four Turkish demands in return for cooperating with the EU in the migrant crisis. At a joint press conference in Istanbul yesterday, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu repeated Ankara's four conditions for implementing an action plan against the influx of Syrian refugees into Europe. It wants more EU aid for those refugees inside Turkey; three chapters opened in Turkey's EU accession negotiations; visa liberalisation for Turks travelling to the EU; and a seat for Turkey at EU summits.
Erdogan's resentment over EU condemnations of growing authoritarianism is so deep that any EU softening will have little impact.
Davutoglu and Erdogan present Turkey as so important globally, that the EU is desperate that it join; they have no interest in accession.
Several EU member states have severe reservations about visa liberalisation, funding aid and opening new accession chapters.
