When it comes to dealing with Turkey and trying to solve the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel shouldn�t talk to Turkey on behalf of the entire European Union (EU), French political analyst Didier Billion told Atlantico.





By negotiating with�Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the issue of�refugees, Merkel is simply pushing her own interests, not the interests of�the EU as�a whole.
"There is no equality between�German interests and European interests," Billion, who is the co-head of�the French Institute for�International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS), told Atlantico.


Since no EU counsellors have given Merkel a mandate to�discuss the issue of�refugees with�Erdogan and Merkel's claims to�represent the EU were made without�a collective decision they're illegitimate, the French political analyst explained.

According to�Billion, Merkel's selfish action shows a "sign that the European project no longer exists."


Meanwhile for�Erdogan, the EU's disunity is beneficial, as�he can negotiate a better deal for�himself using the refugees as�a diplomatic tool. Despite this, whether the EU likes it or not, Turkey will continue to�play a central role in�the refugee crisis, the Frenchman argued.

If the EU fails to�find a working deal with�Turkey, Europe will face an increasing wave of�uncontrollable refugees. According to�Billion, without�an agreement with�Turkey the number of�refugees in�Europe would increase manifold.

Nevertheless, an agreement with�Turkey should be found with�the participation of�all 28 EU member states and not based on�Merkel's personal interests, Billion said.
Merkel's personal attempt to�act as�the EU's representative has been "reckless" and she will end up�paying a stiff price for�this in�the future. Many Europeans are unhappy with�her policies and have already dubbed her sarcastically as "Mama Merkel," the IRIS expert said.


The German Chancellor has already provoked widespread public anger after�calling on�all EU member states to�participate in�a mandatory relocation scheme, according to�which refugees would be relocated across�the entire EU.

By Sputnik