Monday, 18 May 2015

EU Turkey membership process to step up

A new negotiating chapter to be opened «very soon», according to commissioner Hahn

by Emanuele Bonini

The Turkish accession process to the EU could mark a small progress as the European Commission announced possible negotiations on economic issues, the so called chapter seventeen. «I do believe chapter seventeen can be opened very soon», said Johannes Hahn, EU commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations. Talking at the end of the EU-Turkey association council meeting, Hahn clarified that «the progress report on Turkey will be submitted at the Council at the latest by the end of June», and in that occasion the EU member States will «hopefully» decide to open a new negotiating chapter. In Ankara they are waiting for that, as stressed by the Foreign minister of Turkey. «The ongoing dialogue can't replace the accession process», said Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in Brussels. «Accession remains on our political agenda, and we remain committed on the reform process». Improvements are now expected, since «the country has been showing to be patient».
   Turkey opened the first negotiating chapter in 2005, and currently is negotiating on fourteen chapters. The entire accession process to the EU will be concluded only when all the thirty five negotiating chapters will be closed.


Related articles:

- Turkey still a cause of division for the EU

- FACT SHEET / EU-Turkey negotiations

No comments:

Post a Comment