Concern in Athens as MEPs vote to freeze Turkey accession talks

There were concerns in Athens Thursday over the possible repercussions of growing tensions between the European Union and Turkey after EU lawmakers called for a temporary suspension of accession talks with Ankara. The biggest fear is that the rift could lead to the collapse of a deal between Brussels and Ankara to crack down on human smuggling in the Aegean, potentially prompting a new influx of migrants into the EU via Greece.

Although the motion is nonbinding, and would require the approval of the European Commission and national governments, it gave a sense of the level of concern in Brussels over what the motion described as Ankara's "disproportionate" reaction to a failed Turkish coup in July.

So far only Austria and Luxembourg have officially asked for the freezing of accession talks.

Athens, which has been unsettled by a series of aggressive comments...