0:00:37 > 0:00:39Hello and welcome to Politics Europe,
0:00:39 > 0:00:44your regular guide to the top stories in Brussels and Strasbourg.
0:00:44 > 0:00:49On today's programme:
0:00:49 > 0:00:51Ahead of another EU summit called to agree
0:00:51 > 0:00:53a deal with Turkey on the migrant crisis, questions pile
0:00:54 > 0:00:55up about how the plan will work.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58Could David Cameron's EU reform deal be scuppered by the
0:00:58 > 0:00:58European Parliament?
0:00:58 > 0:01:02We report from Strasbourg.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06Euro officials consider plans for a dedicated chauffeur service
0:01:06 > 0:01:14for MEPs as a security measure.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17And in the latest of our series profiling other EU
0:01:17 > 0:01:21member states, we report from the divided island of Cyprus.
0:01:22 > 0:01:23All that to come and more in the next half-an-hour.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29All that to come and more in the next half-an-hour.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32First, though, here's our guide to the latest
0:01:32 > 0:01:36from Europe just 60 seconds.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38from Europe in just 60 seconds.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42On Monday the EU and Turkey agreed a plan,
0:01:42 > 0:01:53they'll concentrate all migrants arriving in Greece from Turkey will
0:01:53 > 0:01:56be returned but for every Syrian sent back, a Syrian already in
0:01:56 > 0:02:04Turkey will be resettled in the EU.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06their economic weaknesses risk destabilising the other economies
0:02:06 > 0:02:07with difficult times ahead.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10EU states want to tax e-cigarettes in the same way
0:02:10 > 0:02:12as their tobacco counterparts, but the vaping lobby just the move
0:02:12 > 0:02:19just punishes those trying to quit.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21Leaders of the Conservative Parties Group in the European Parliament
0:02:21 > 0:02:23asked members of the German anti-immigration AFD to leave
0:02:23 > 0:02:26the group after comments made about using guns against immigrants.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28And a limousine service for the European Parliament is
0:02:28 > 0:02:35in doubt after MEPs questioned the 3 million euros cost.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Drivers' uniforms alone add up to 116,000 euros a year.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47And with us for the next 30 minutes, I'm joined by the Conservative MEP
0:02:47 > 0:02:52Charles Tannock and the Scottish National Party MEP Alyn Smith.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Let's talk about one of these stories in more detail, the idea of
0:02:55 > 0:02:59a new car service to transport MEPs around Brussels and Strasbourg.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01Looking forward to being chauffeur driven with a chauffeur
0:03:01 > 0:03:04in uniform in the back of a limo?
0:03:04 > 0:03:07These are proposals, there is an existing car service,
0:03:07 > 0:03:14there's a lot of going back and forward to the airport.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17If we were all getting taxis that would be very expensive.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20So the Parliament already has a fleet of many buses, and there's
0:03:20 > 0:03:22a security question there as well.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25But these proposals, have been shelved, and we will vote against.
0:03:25 > 0:03:26And you will vote against?
0:03:26 > 0:03:27So will it happen?
0:03:27 > 0:03:30I don't think it will.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Can it only happen if the European Parliament agree to it?
0:03:32 > 0:03:37Exactly, if the MEPs sign of the budget, this was a proposal that's
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Exactly, the MEPs sign off the budget, this was a proposal that's
0:03:40 > 0:03:43been made, it's been shelved, but the proposal was reported in every
0:03:43 > 0:03:46single newspaper, we're discussing it on this programme, the fact that
0:03:46 > 0:03:48it has been shelved hasn't actually been mentioned at all.
0:03:48 > 0:03:49It has now.
0:03:49 > 0:03:50Is security really a concern?
0:03:50 > 0:03:52Nobody really knows who you are.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54It's security of the drivers because they're not vetted properly
0:03:54 > 0:03:56in the current contracts, which are externalised.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58You think the drivers could be a security risk?
0:03:58 > 0:04:00They wanted to bring the drivers' employment in-house.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02They would be fully screened for security reasons
0:04:02 > 0:04:04and have panic buttons in the car.
0:04:04 > 0:04:05That would make sense.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07It was done entirely for security reasons.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09the costs in my view are too high and the
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Conservatives will be submitting an amendment to the budgets committee
0:04:12 > 0:04:15to amend this, so I think it's highly unlikely it will go through.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17So on Politics Europe we can kill it now dead?
0:04:17 > 0:04:18Hopefully dead.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Very well, you see, we make the news here.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23All the big stuff.
0:04:23 > 0:04:31And UKIP by the way use the cars before you get anything different.
0:04:31 > 0:04:32in a minute, though.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34German Chancellor Merkel has spearheaded a proposed deal with
0:04:34 > 0:04:37the Turkish government to stem the flow of migrants into Greece.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39It's yet to be approved by all EU members.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41Under the plan Turkey would take
0:04:41 > 0:04:43back migrants crossing from Turkey into Greece.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45In return, the EU would resettle Syrian refugees directly
0:04:45 > 0:04:53from Turkey, pay Turkey about 6 billion euros, and agree to visa
0:04:53 > 0:04:54visa-free travel for Turkish
0:04:54 > 0:04:58citizens in the Schengen area from June.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Mrs Merkel didn't include the president of the European
0:05:01 > 0:05:03Council, Donald Tusk, in the negotiations, but it looks like he's
0:05:03 > 0:05:05going along with it nonetheless.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07The Prime Minister confirmed Turkey's commitment to accept the
0:05:07 > 0:05:11rapid return of all migrants coming from Turkey to Greece that are not
0:05:11 > 0:05:16in need of international protection.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19The EU will support Greece in ensuring comprehensive large-scale
0:05:19 > 0:05:25and fast track returns to Turkey.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28We also welcome the establishment of the Nato activity in the
0:05:28 > 0:05:32Aegean Sea, and we look forward to its contribution to enhance
0:05:32 > 0:05:50intelligence and surveillance with a view to stemming migrant crossings.
0:05:50 > 0:05:51That was President Tusk.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Were joined by the UKIP MEP Diane James.
0:05:53 > 0:05:54Welcome to you.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56What do you make of this deal?
0:05:56 > 0:05:58There's never going to be a good deal because we're dealing
0:05:58 > 0:05:59with a humanitarian crisis.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02On the one hand we are very concerned about what's going on
0:06:02 > 0:06:04in Turkey, we're seeing increasing repression domesticly.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Even this week Zaman newspaper was shut down by the government.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10So the government has been doing a lot of stuff that we have vocal
0:06:10 > 0:06:11about criticising.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13But on the other hand, Turkey has been a key partner
0:06:13 > 0:06:17in hosting 2.6 million refugees and I think they do deserve a bit
0:06:17 > 0:06:18of credit and support for that.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20On the migration and refugee question, a priority
0:06:20 > 0:06:22surely has to keep people safe.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25We can keep people safe in our country all we can keep
0:06:25 > 0:06:27people safe in Turkey by supporting the Turks to do that.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30We're finally starting to see progress towards a political
0:06:30 > 0:06:33solution in Syria, which will halt people being refugees at all.
0:06:33 > 0:06:34Refugees don't want to be refugees.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36That could be a long way down the road.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39There are still Syrian refugees trying to get into Turkey now.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41What do you make of it?
0:06:41 > 0:06:43Clearly Turkey has the upper hand, it's the gatekeeper, it has control
0:06:43 > 0:06:46of the flow of migrants leaving its territory crossing to Greece.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49So we have to do a deal with Turkey irrespective of the nature
0:06:49 > 0:06:52of the current government, and I'm a huge critic of President
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Erdogan and what he's been up to internally in terms of repression,
0:06:55 > 0:06:57arresting journalists and so on.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59So we're going to give 6 billion euros to an increasingly
0:06:59 > 0:07:01authoritarian Turkish government?
0:07:01 > 0:07:05We have no choice to be honest because ultimately people are
0:07:05 > 0:07:07choosing that particular route via Greece and the Balkans,
0:07:07 > 0:07:12and it's only through Turkey stabilising refugees in
0:07:12 > 0:07:15its own camps that we can stop the large flow of people into Europe.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19What makes you think that the Turks won't just pocket the 6 billion
0:07:19 > 0:07:20euros and nothing much will happen?
0:07:20 > 0:07:32There is of course a risk of that.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Clearly the thing has to be very closely monitored.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37If that were the case then the whole thing would be immediately
0:07:37 > 0:07:38suspended as a deal.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41But at the moment I think Turkey is also demanding quite a heavy price,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44these liberalisation, the lifting on the blockage of the four chapters
0:07:44 > 0:07:47visa liberalisation, the lifting on the blockage of the four chapters
0:07:47 > 0:07:50for negotiating EU accession, just do give you a few examples.
0:07:50 > 0:07:51That is pretty controversial to be honest.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54If I understand that that it looks like Mrs Merkel wants a
0:07:54 > 0:07:58European Union to do it too, and she's going to argue for it.
0:07:58 > 0:07:58What's your view?
0:07:58 > 0:08:01Well, it's typical German bullying, which were very used to in the
0:08:01 > 0:08:04parliament, and we have Mr Schultz, who in his address this week,
0:08:04 > 0:08:08made the point that the EU needs Turkey as much as Turkey needs you.
0:08:08 > 0:08:15You couldn't have had a clearer message if you had wanted it.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18And the fact that this is going to fast track Turkey in terms
0:08:18 > 0:08:21of access and into the EU, of which all of the political parties in
0:08:21 > 0:08:24the UK except UKIP have supported, and David Cameron in particular has
0:08:24 > 0:08:25supported Turkey's membership.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27It's still unclear when Turkey will get full membership.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30In terms of their time frame, what I've read
0:08:30 > 0:08:33and picked up this week, is that it's gone from a 10-year potential
0:08:33 > 0:08:36timeframe to a timeframe between this five-year parliamentary term.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38That's absolute nonsense.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40I'm a raconteur for a Western Balkans nation, Montenegro,
0:08:40 > 0:08:49I presented my report this week.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Even tiny Montenegro, which poses no problem whatsoever in terms
0:08:51 > 0:08:54of integrating into the European Union, isn't going to be in the
0:08:54 > 0:08:55European Union within five years.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Turkey being in within five years is absolute nonsense.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01And the fact of the matter, Diane, is that only if the House
0:09:01 > 0:09:02of Commons were to say yes.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05It's subject to each member state's national parliament ratifying
0:09:05 > 0:09:05the accession.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08So our sovereign House of Commons would have to say yes.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11So if it were ever to happen it would require the British
0:09:11 > 0:09:14government and the British Parliament to have to agree to it.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16Charles, with all due respect, Mrs Merkel didn't consult
0:09:16 > 0:09:19David Cameron over the deal she put on the table this week.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21And this is the second time she's done this
0:09:21 > 0:09:23in terms of the 28 member states.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26There's another summit where the MEPs will be able to have
0:09:26 > 0:09:34our say on it as well.
0:09:34 > 0:09:35OK.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37One of the key issues here, we're not discussing this,
0:09:37 > 0:09:41it hasn't come up yet, this is Mrs Merkel trying to satisfy a domestic
0:09:41 > 0:09:42agenda as much as an EU agenda.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45The visa liberalisation doesn't apply to the United Kingdom.
0:09:45 > 0:09:46This is for the Schengen area.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48We said that in the introduction.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50Although the actual agreement said it apply to all member nations,
0:09:51 > 0:09:52it was wrongly drafted.
0:09:52 > 0:09:53That was wrongly drafted, it was clearly wrong.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57Let me ask you this, it's quite a key part of this that I
0:09:57 > 0:10:00don't understand, the deal, or the proposal, I think I'll call it
0:10:00 > 0:10:03the Merkel proposal at the moment, is that those Syrians and other
0:10:03 > 0:10:05refugees, or asylum seekers, or economic migrants, whatever they
0:10:05 > 0:10:10are, who has made it to Greece will be returned to Turkey and then
0:10:10 > 0:10:14the Syrians will be picked out, processed and bit by bit they'll be
0:10:14 > 0:10:16sent back in a more legitimate way.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19How in a democracy like Greece do you forcibly return migrants?
0:10:19 > 0:10:23That's where there are legal questions to be unpacked
0:10:23 > 0:10:29about this whole proposal.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32The idea that you can blanket and throw people back to where there
0:10:32 > 0:10:34may or may not be secure third countries.
0:10:34 > 0:10:56Which isn't a full signatory to the Geneva Convention.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Even this week we had the UN High Commissioner for Refugees
0:10:59 > 0:11:01in the Parliament expressing his doubts about these proposals.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04There's an element of pragmatism that needs to be done
0:11:04 > 0:11:06here, and this is where Charles and I completely agree.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10The support that Turkey is going to get to provide a safe haven to
0:11:10 > 0:11:13people is in the teeth of what the regime has been up to, and we
0:11:13 > 0:11:15do have our doubts about that.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17I'm not just talking about the legality of the situation,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20which is a big question, I'm talking about the practicality
0:11:20 > 0:11:21of a situation in which...
0:11:21 > 0:11:23We've got pictures there of migrants in camps.
0:11:23 > 0:11:24Are we seriously...
0:11:24 > 0:11:25Who's going to do it?
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Are the Greek police going to move in
0:11:27 > 0:11:29with guns and forcibly remove them?
0:11:29 > 0:11:31It's clear the European Union will be providing additional assistance
0:11:31 > 0:11:34to Europol, to experts to advise how you would return people.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37Supposing these people say they've risked their lives to get out
0:11:37 > 0:11:40of Turkey and into Greece, and they would quite like to say,
0:11:40 > 0:11:42particularly those who aren't Syrians, because if you're not
0:11:42 > 0:11:45Syrian then you have no hope of getting back and you've get sent
0:11:45 > 0:11:47to Turkey, why would they say they're not returning.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Returning irregular migrants is always a very challenging past.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52The fact of the matter is that's what's been agreed,
0:11:52 > 0:11:56and it will be up to the authorities to implement this in a perfectly
0:11:56 > 0:11:57legitimate and humane fashion.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Are we going to see the European Union round-up refugees and force
0:12:00 > 0:12:02them onto boats in their thousands, is that your proposition?
0:12:02 > 0:12:06I'm only saying what I've read in the agreement in which it has been
0:12:06 > 0:12:08stated categorically that people who are illegal and irregular, who come
0:12:08 > 0:12:11particularly from countries other than Syria, such as Afghanistan,
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Eritrea, and they've come particularly from camps were there
0:12:13 > 0:12:15already established as people with asylum pleas that are already
0:12:15 > 0:12:18registered and accepted, that they have no right to be automatically
0:12:18 > 0:12:20granted territorial rights in the European Union
0:12:20 > 0:12:24and they have to go back.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27How they force or implement that, I don't know,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30it's up to them to deliver on.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33The kind of backdrop that helps you in a referendum campaign?
0:12:33 > 0:12:39It does, there's no doubt in my mind.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Neither of my two counterparts today have even touched on the bill to
0:12:42 > 0:12:51the United Kingdom, ?500 million.
0:12:51 > 0:12:52What would UKIP's solution be?
0:12:52 > 0:12:56We're running out of time so I need to give Diane the last word, there's
0:12:56 > 0:12:57two of you and one of Diane.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00It helps the whole Brexit campaign, there's no doubt about that,
0:13:00 > 0:13:01in terms of this.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04But equally it helps the Eurosceptic movement across Europe and we seen
0:13:04 > 0:13:10responses already to that.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13how on earth is this going to be enforcable?
0:13:13 > 0:13:15This is going to be what I call a migration merry-go-round.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19Bringing them in, sending them back, and who actually is going to
0:13:19 > 0:13:20marshal it and make it happened?
0:13:20 > 0:13:21It's the normal European nonsense.
0:13:21 > 0:13:22So give us a solution.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24That will have to wait for another programme.
0:13:25 > 0:13:26We've run out of time.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Diane, thank you.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31We've seen plenty of all out in Britain since David Cameron struck
0:13:31 > 0:13:35his infamous EU deal, but what about the people who get to vote on it?
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Not the British public, because they will, but the MEPs in the European
0:13:38 > 0:13:42Parliament will be able to amend the proposals and vote on the plan.
0:13:42 > 0:13:43Ben Wright reports from Strasbourg.
0:13:47 > 0:13:57It is a first-time they have met here
0:13:57 > 0:14:00since EU leaders rustled up David Cameron's referendum hors d'oeuvre.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03They signed it off but could any MEPs rip the thing to
0:14:03 > 0:14:04beat when their turn comes?
0:14:04 > 0:14:08I do not think MEPs will change it because they know what is at stake.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Would you imagine the Commons not having a say in the UK?
0:14:11 > 0:14:14So we are in charge of making legislation for the EU.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16We will do the job.
0:14:16 > 0:14:24So is the state set for a show-down European Cameron Del?
0:14:24 > 0:14:27So is the state set for a show-down European Cameron's deal?
0:14:27 > 0:14:29It depends on who you ask and there is a wariness
0:14:29 > 0:14:30about the British question.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33They want the show to be over, one way or another.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Now, lots of the deal that David Cameron agreed with EU leaders
0:14:36 > 0:14:40doesn't need MEPs to approve it but some of it does, in particular
0:14:40 > 0:14:44the in-work benefit limits, so too the idea of linking child benefit
0:14:44 > 0:14:50payments to EU citizens in the UK to the cost of living in
0:14:50 > 0:14:55the country where that child lives.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58The president of the European Parliament did not rule out
0:14:58 > 0:15:03the possibility of changes when the plans are produced.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07Our road starts when a yes vote has a majority.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11We start immediately with the necessary legislation.
0:15:11 > 0:15:17Can it be amended?
0:15:17 > 0:15:20This is a question for the commission so it's too early
0:15:20 > 0:15:21to answer that question.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24But he is careful not to say anything that could fuel that UK
0:15:24 > 0:15:25exit debate.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30Like most MEPs, he wants the UK to remain in, unlike this man.
0:15:30 > 0:15:42This Parliament can water down substantially and will water
0:15:42 > 0:15:44down substantially any changes to benefits the UK pays.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46Benefits changes are not signed off.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49The UK decided not to change its rules in work benefits, for examples
0:15:49 > 0:15:51so now we have to deal with these.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55This is one of the main ambiguities of the settlement
0:15:55 > 0:15:58and I am not happy for the British people because we have to be fair.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01One people is going to vote in the referendum.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04The conditions of the settlement should be clear and they are not.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08But Madame Goulard, an enthusiastic federalist,
0:16:08 > 0:16:15looks set to be outnumbered by MEPs who think the best thing to do is
0:16:15 > 0:16:17wave the UK deal through.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20There is a positive attitude in the House on this.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22On this emergency brake.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26We have to solve the British issue once and for all.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29We can continue decades and decades of discussions.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32I asked the Conservative MEP if she could guarantee the deal been sold
0:16:32 > 0:16:36to UK voters would be delivered.
0:16:36 > 0:16:41I am getting MEPs saying what can I d oto help, I am number checking,
0:16:41 > 0:16:45I am getting MEPs saying what can I do to help, I am number checking,
0:16:45 > 0:16:46and listening to what they say.
0:16:46 > 0:16:52I do not need Farage, Le Pen or Schultz's vote - when it
0:16:52 > 0:17:02is 376 votes in Parliament and the the MEPs are saying we want
0:17:02 > 0:17:06to keep the Brits in they do not want to rock the boat on this deal.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08And it seems while the MEPs are tired of what they view as British
0:17:09 > 0:17:10Ben Wright reporting there.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Is it possible that we could vote to remain but the European Parliament
0:17:13 > 0:17:18could then change elements of the deal that Mr Cameron has done?
0:17:18 > 0:17:20No.
0:17:20 > 0:17:21Because?
0:17:21 > 0:17:23It is flat nonsense.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27There he is a huge achievement amongst the member states.
0:17:27 > 0:17:35The MEPs get to bump their guns about but there is no desire among
0:17:35 > 0:17:37anybody serious to get into this.
0:17:37 > 0:17:45Even from my own party perspective, this is not a deal with what was
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Even from my own party perspective, this is not a deal we thought was
0:17:48 > 0:17:51necessary, but if that is the price, we can live with it.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53The MEPs will be pragmatic about this stuff.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56It is right that the European Parliament has a say on this.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59There are wider implications but it is not going to be changed.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01You are nodding in agreement?
0:18:01 > 0:18:02I think Nigel was trying project fear.
0:18:02 > 0:18:07He is not alone.
0:18:07 > 0:18:16Vicky Ford was absolutely spot-on, my Conservative colleague, it is
0:18:16 > 0:18:25absolutely no doubt the entire EPP the reformist and more the half
0:18:25 > 0:18:28the socialist that is an inbuilt very large majority of the
0:18:28 > 0:18:29Parliament.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32The extreme right and left - it will be interesting to see
0:18:32 > 0:18:35if Ukip tries to sabotage it - but it will be very bizarre it is
0:18:35 > 0:18:36against the national interest...
0:18:36 > 0:18:42I am not a member of the extreme right
0:18:42 > 0:18:44and I do not appreciate the comment...
0:18:44 > 0:18:48I do not doubt that the vast majority of MEPs will vote to keep
0:18:48 > 0:18:52this in and the reason they would do that is that we contribute so much
0:18:52 > 0:18:55in terms of the budget contribution to the European Union they cannot
0:18:55 > 0:18:58afford to let the UK walk away but when it comes down to it,
0:18:58 > 0:19:03ultimately, whatever decision the MEPs come up with, it is voters
0:19:03 > 0:19:06here in the UK who have already seen what's on the table, they have
0:19:06 > 0:19:09voiced their concern, it is why the polls are running
0:19:09 > 0:19:10as close as they are...
0:19:10 > 0:19:12I understand that.
0:19:12 > 0:19:19We will have plenty of time to talk about that but zooming in on the
0:19:19 > 0:19:23moment, although constitutionally it would be possible for the European
0:19:23 > 0:19:26Parliament to make changes or to knock some of it down, in practice,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29given the majorities, it is not going to happen so,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32in their words, in practical terms it is a red herring?
0:19:32 > 0:19:34I would say so.
0:19:34 > 0:19:41Hold on.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44I am not going to be voting it through.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47I am not speaking personally, I think it is an absolutely poor deal
0:19:47 > 0:19:54that David Cameron has brought back.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56It suits the European Union and Europhiles
0:19:56 > 0:19:57and my two colleagues here.
0:19:57 > 0:19:58Very well.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01Now, it is the most easterly member of the European Union.
0:20:01 > 0:20:08Until Turkey joins.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Half-an-hour south of Turkey and with the latest profiles on EU
0:20:11 > 0:20:12member states we report from Cyprus.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29Nicosia is the last divided capital, on one side the Greek Cypriots
0:20:29 > 0:20:39on the other, with a massive flag on the the Turkish
0:20:39 > 0:20:41on the other, with a massive flag on the hill the
0:20:41 > 0:20:43Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
0:20:43 > 0:20:43Thank you.
0:20:43 > 0:20:44There you go.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47A quick swipe of the passport and I am across the border to
0:20:47 > 0:20:48Northern Cyprus.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52It's not exactly Deutschland 83, is it?
0:20:52 > 0:20:56There were signs of the division all along
0:20:56 > 0:21:04what is known as the Green Line.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07It is mostly been like this since 1974 when Turkey invaded
0:21:07 > 0:21:10the island, fearing it would be united with Greece which was led
0:21:10 > 0:21:15by a military junta at the time.
0:21:15 > 0:21:23Nowadays, both sides are separated by a slightly spooky buffer zone.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26It is paced by United Nations peacekeepers like the soldier
0:21:26 > 0:21:31from Slovakia.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34To friends back home who say what on earth are you doing in Cyprus,
0:21:34 > 0:21:38what you tell them?
0:21:38 > 0:21:42You try to find out or you have a chance to find out how deep is
0:21:42 > 0:21:43this problem in Cyprus?
0:21:43 > 0:21:45Then you can understand how important the presence
0:21:45 > 0:21:56of the military is.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00It is not matter if they are from Slovakia or other states but we
0:22:00 > 0:22:03really need to be here and just keep this stable environment until there
0:22:03 > 0:22:05is a final settlement, let's say.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07The peace process finally seems to be getting somewhere.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09The leaders of both communities meet every other
0:22:09 > 0:22:13week and officials negotiate three times a week but over what?
0:22:13 > 0:22:17The governance in the way the executive
0:22:17 > 0:22:24legislature judicially will be functioning in this new system.
0:22:24 > 0:22:29Then we have the EU matters.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33How are we going to take decisions within the European Union and how we
0:22:34 > 0:22:36going to transpose.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Then there is the economy chapter.
0:22:39 > 0:22:51How are we going to regulate the taxation, regular venues.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53How will it be redistributed along the island.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Very complicated issues.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58After the events of 1974, many Turkish Cypriots who used to
0:22:58 > 0:23:00live south moved north and Greek Cypriots who lived
0:23:00 > 0:23:01in the North moved to the south.
0:23:01 > 0:23:11Leaving behind their properties.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13Now the remaining chapters which not have touched the territorial
0:23:13 > 0:23:14issues and security.
0:23:14 > 0:23:21Those are really thorny issues.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24Where exactly is the border between north and south and what happens to
0:23:24 > 0:23:27the thousands of Turkish troops stationed on the island but everyone
0:23:27 > 0:23:30involved reckons there will be a deal by the end of this year which
0:23:30 > 0:23:34will then go to a referendum on both sides of the Green line.
0:23:34 > 0:23:35After more than 40 years, the city might not be divided
0:23:45 > 0:23:48Cyprus now has more resinence with all the talk of Turkey?
0:23:48 > 0:23:51Absolutely and Cyprus is very important in all of these.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53It is a Commonwealth country.
0:23:53 > 0:23:59It also has the sovereign base so it is a very, very important country
0:23:59 > 0:24:05from a British perspective and they feel particularly squeezed over
0:24:05 > 0:24:13the Turkey deal because there is huge pressure by Erdogan
0:24:13 > 0:24:16Turkey has never implemented
0:24:16 > 0:24:19the 2005 additional Ankara protocols which recognise Cyprus and allow
0:24:19 > 0:24:26ships to dock at the ports.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29I feel sorry for the President who now has to resell package
0:24:29 > 0:24:32for unification and also having to co-operate with the migrant issue.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36Well, it is going to be interesting to see what we do with the migrant -
0:24:36 > 0:24:39economic migrants, asylum seekers, whatever you want to call them,
0:24:39 > 0:24:41that have been stranded on the southern bases.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45Is that going to be part of the discussion as well?
0:24:45 > 0:24:47What happens there?
0:24:47 > 0:24:55Final thought?
0:24:55 > 0:24:58It would be be glorious project to get a part of.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00You think we will see progress on that?
0:25:00 > 0:25:02I think there is a huge impetus to actually get
0:25:02 > 0:25:07a deal done and that will take...
0:25:07 > 0:25:08Good news for 2016.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11We could do with some good news.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Look out and see if it happens.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Our thanks to all of my guess.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Our thanks to all of my guests.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20We hope to see you again soon.
0:25:20 > 0:25:21Bye-bye.