...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...will cut funds allocated to
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
due to the "deteriorating situation in relation to democracy, rule of law and human rights
One man's rights are another man's existential threat.
" there, according to a European Parliament (EP) statement.
The bloc will shrink the so-called "pre-ascension funds" for Turkey by 105m euros ($124m) and suspend an additional 70m euros in the 2018 budget, the statement said on Saturday.
Ankara is entitled to receive 4.45 billion euros from the EU between 2014 and 2020 in the framework of the bloc's "Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance".
The Council of the EU and the EP, the two legislative institutions of the bloc, still need to formally approve the new budget.
"Concerning Turkey, MEPs made sure to cut pre-accession funds by 105 million euros (with a further €70 million in commitments put in reserve), as they consider the deteriorating situation in relation to democracy, rule of law and human rights worrying," the statement by the EP said, referring to its members as MEPs.