EU Lunch Turns Sour as Turkey's Membership Dreams Go Up in Smoke!

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This article is an on-site version of our Europe Express newsletter. Premium subscribers can sign up here to get the newsletter delivered every weekday and Saturday morning. Standard subscribers can upgrade to Premium hereor explore all FT newslettersGood morning. Kyiv last night announced the first destruction of one of its US-made F-16 fighter jets and the death of its pilot, in a blow to Ukraine’s air force just weeks after the western donated planes started to arrive. That comes as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy battles a barrage of criticism that his counter-invasion into Russia weakened defences elsewhere and hastened Moscow’s potentially imminent capture of the strategic city of Pokrovsk.Today, I unpack the warm-but-tainted talks between EU foreign ministers and their Turkish counterpart yesterday, and our man in the Balkans reports on Serbia’s French fighter jet deal clinched last night.Have a great weekend.Thawing TurkeyIt was two steps forward, one step back for EU-Turkey relations after a convivial and productive lunch between foreign ministers yesterday, marred by a disagreement over how Brussels classifies Ankara’s long-frozen application to join the bloc.Context: Turkey is officially an applicant to join the EU, but its membership progress has been stalled for eight years. Relations hit a nadir in 2019 over a surge in tensions with Greece that led to Brussels suspending some channels for dialogue.Yesterday’s lunch with Hakan Fidan ran over, lasting more than three hours, as he and the EU’s 27 foreign ministers discussed crunchy matters of policy that have stymied progress in deepening relations between Brussels and Ankara, such as the political settlement on the island of Cyprus and the treatment of refugees from the war in Syria. It was the first time in five years that Turkey has attended a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. “It was the best part of the day’s talks,” said one official present during the lunch. “Hakan is a pro, he knows his brief and he knows how to communicate.”But Turkey’s status as a candidate country provided the flashpoint. Few Brussels officials see much scope for progress, given the bloc’s concerns over rule of law and political freedoms in the country. But Fidan lashed out at the European Commission’s stance that managing future relations with Turkey should sit with a proposed Commissioner for the Mediterranean instead of the Commissioner for Enlargement, who will handle ties with applicant countries such as Albania, Montenegro and Ukraine.The spat clouded an otherwise productive lunch, multiple officials said, most of whom acknowledged that Fidan had a valid point.“Frankly, we could have done without the whining (over the enlargement issue),” said a second person present. “I mean, he’s only there because we all recognise how important it is for him to be there.”“But at least we’re talking. That’s the big positive,” they added.Chart of the day: Telegram's tribulationsThe price of Telegram’s bonds have crashed since founder Pavel Durov’s arrest by French authorities, a crisis for the app that has severely dented its hopes of a public listing in the next two years. Friends with fighter jetsMarked by the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Belgrade, military co-operation is taking off thanks to Serbia’s agreement to purchase a dozen Rafale fighter jets long coveted by the Balkan country eager to showcase its western credentials, writes Marton Dunai.Context: Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić announced in April plans to buy 12 Dassault Aviation Rafales and various parts and services — a political statement for the EU candidate country as much as a military acquisition.Talks have taken years, with heavy anticipation of the announcement yesterday evening. Eventually, Serbia’s defence minister Bratislav Gašić and Dassault chief Eric Trappier put the finishing touches to the agreement.“This is a huge deal for us,” Vučić told a press conference, adding that the total package would cost Belgrade €2.7bn. “It will contribute to a significant increase in the operational capabilities of our army. A completely different approach.”Vučić also said France would help Serbia deploy nuclear energy, without which the country would suffer power shortages in a decade. Details were scarce on that agreement. Nuclear power plants usually take well over a decade to construct, at a cost of billions of euros. Serbia also has to scrap a 1980s law banning the use of nuclear power.The Rafale deal comes as Belgrade, long viewed suspiciously by Brussels as too friendly with its Slavic ally Russia, draws nearer to western partners with a series of economic deals that anchor it firmly in the camp of EU partners. Its business ties with Russia, and even China, pale in comparison.The balancing act of Vučić, however, is expected to continue, where he played host to Chinese President Xi Jinping in May, and his close co-ordination with Russia. Serbia has refused to join the EU in sanctions against Moscow, in exchange for vital diplomatic support from the Kremlin in isolating Belgrade’s former province Kosovo.What to watch today EU defence ministers meet in Brussels.Senior ECB officials speak at a Bank of Estonia conference in Tallinn.Now read theseRecommended newsletters for you Trade Secrets — A must-read on the changing face of international trade and globalisation. Sign up hereSwamp Notes — Expert insight on the intersection of money and power in US politics. Sign up hereAre you enjoying Europe Express? Sign up here to have it delivered straight to your inbox every workday at 7am CET and on Saturdays at noon CET. Do tell us what you think, we love to hear from you: [email protected]. Keep up with the latest European stories @FT Europe