Günter Verheugen, who served as European Commissioner for Enlargement from 1999 to 2004, claimed the EU “is likely to need Turkey more than Turkey needs the European Union,” and said there was “a lack of goodwill” towards Istanbul across Europe.
Mr Verheugen was speaking at an International Symposium in Kocaeli, north western Turkey, which examined the impact of the 2016 failed military coup on the country, democracy and the world.
The German politician said he was surprised by the international reaction to the attempted revolution, saying he had expected “large-scale” shows of solidarity with the people of Turkey across Europe.
“Imagine this coup attempt had taken place in Italy and the people had fought against the tanks and defeated them,” he said.
“What would the reaction then be like? These Italians are real heroes.”
That there was no such response to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan successfully regaining power was “totally unacceptable,” Verheugan said, acording to the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
“That was a terrible lack of understanding, a lack of goodwill to understand Turkey,” he added.
He also criticised Chancellor Merkel, after she said during the TV debate before last month’s elections that should would not support Turkish accession to the EU.
He said: “I was absolutely shocked that Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she had never supported Turkey’s accession during the TV debate ahead of the German elections.”
He called the hancellor “unreliable” and accussed the EU of failing to keep up its side of the bargain over the 2016 immigration deal.
Turkey agreed to stop refugees entering Europe illegally in exchange for a €6bn rescue package, visa free travel for Turks in the Schengen area and the speeding up of its EU membership application.
“The Turkish side has done its part and saved the chancellery under Angela Merkel. But they did not get the visa-free regime,” Verheugen said.
“Turkey has been discriminated against during its accession process.”
Turkey’s relationship with the EU has deteriorated rapidly since the failed coup and President Erdogan’s radical crackdown on political oppenents.
Ms Merkel said the rule of law in Turkey was “moving in the wrong direction” and its human rights record was “unacceptable” at the recent Brussels summit.
Turkey was meant to receive €217 million from the EU for reforms, infrastructure and agriculture in 2018.
But the European Parliament voted to cut €50 million at first before cutting the extra €30 million if human rights in Turkey do not improve.
National leaders are expected to sign off on the cuts after agreeing to reduce aid to EU candidate countries at last week’s Brussels summit.
The decision to reduce funding to Turkey was made on the same day that Turkey tried 11 human rights activists in Istanbul amid a large-scale purge following the military coup attempt.
Thirty journalists and newspaper executives are also facing life sentences on charges they had links to a failed coup.