The European Union must ask itself whether it should not take stricter action against Turkey, which is showing no improvement.

“The game of cat and mouse must stop,” said EU President Charles Michel in the run-up to the EU summit at which government leaders take stock of the behaviour of Turkey.

“We are ready to use whatever means we have” to call the Ankara government to order, Michel repeated, citing the sanctions urged by the Member States such as Greece.

The EU agreed to decide at Thursday’s summit whether Turkey has shifted its course of confrontation enough or whether it is time for punitive action.

“In October, we made a very positive offer to Turkey,” says Michel. On the condition that Turkey would stop “one-sided provocations and hostile statements.

Well, things haven’t gotten better since October.” In recent days, Turkish President Erdogan has spoken more positively about the EU than he did in the months before.