Following the leaders` debate on Turkey during the October European Council, the College of Commissioners discussed the issue of pre- accession funds, but a final decision should be expected in December.
Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, gave an overview of current pre-accession (IPA) support and the next steps to be taken.
The Commission will act at the invitation of the European Council to present options on the adaptation of the indicative financial allocations for Turkey for the years 2018-2020.
Commissioner Hahn will present these to the December General Affairs Council (GAC) for a political decision. In the meantime, in line with the Presidency conclusions of the GAC in December 2016, the Commission is already focusing ongoing pre-accession funding on key areas such as the rule of law, fundamental rights, civil society and people-to-people contacts, which will be preserved in future assistance programmes.