Thursday

28th Mar 2024

Turkey EU accession talks inch forward

  • Turkey wants Brussels to put more pressure on Cyprus to move forward with peace talks over the divided island (Photo: EU Commission)

The European Union agreed to open talks on two policy areas of Turkey's 35-chapter accession package on Friday (19 December), bringing the overall number of chapters open to ten. Turkey, for its part, urged the 27-nation bloc to pressure Greece over the divided island of Cyprus.

"The European Union has a very heavy responsibility to assume. That is to say that the Greek part of the island, which is today a part of the EU, must be strongly encouraged to move towards a durable and complete solution," Turkish foreign minister Ali Babacan said in Brussels.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

Referring to the latest negotiations on re-unification of Cyprus, which began in September, Mr Babacan warned that the currently existing window of opportunity was not going to remain open indefinitely.

"If we leave the two leaders all alone face-to-face, they will continue their regular meetings but with no timetable, no deadlines, and it is difficult to envisage an agreement and a durable and complete solution," Mr Babacan concluded.

Turkey's chief diplomat was speaking to journalists after the 27-nation bloc gave its green light to opening talks on two additional chapters, covering the free circulation of capital and the information society and the media, of the country's accession book.

"It is an important step in the negotiation process," French European affairs minister Bruno Le Maire said.

Turkey has been an official candidate to join the EU since 1999 and opened accession negotiations with the bloc in 2005. However, the talks have been moving slowly - just one policy area has so far been successfully closed.

EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn, for his part, said it was "time that Turkey revitalise the reforms in order to make progress with fundamental freedoms and the rule of law."

"In order to be able to open new chapters in 2009, it is imperative that Turkey accomplish a certain number of criteria in fiscal policy, social affairs, the environment and competitiveness matters," he added.

Croatia versus Slovenia

Also on Friday, the EU and Croatia opened negotiations on an additional chapter in the country's accession package, with commissioner Rehn indicating Zagreb could wrap up the talks as soon as next year.

"The indicative timetable that we have proposed is realistic," he said, underlining however that it was "essential" for Croatia to continue reforms, especially in the judicial sector and the fight against corruption.

At the same time, French minister Bruno Le Maire has sent an urgent message to Slovenia as earlier this week (17 December), the country announced that it would block further accession talks with EU candidate Croatia due to a long-running border dispute between the two countries.

Ljubljana accuses Croatia of claiming an unfair share of the Adriatic Sea close to the Slovenian city of Piran and denying Slovenian ships direct access to international waters. The dispute dates back to 1991 when the two countries broke away from the former Yugoslavia.

"This is a bilateral problem. It has to be solved bilaterally," Mr Le Maire said.

Ukraine slams grain trade restrictions at EU summit

Restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU could translate into military losses in their bid to stop Russia's war, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned EU leaders during their summit in Brussels on Thursday.

Difficult talks ahead on financing new EU defence spending

With the war in Ukraine showing no signs of ending any time soon, EU leaders will meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday (21 and 22 March) to discuss how to boost the defence capabilities of Ukraine and of the bloc itself.

Opinion

Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Rather than assuming a pro-European Labour government in London will automatically open doors in Brussels, the Labour party needs to consider what it may be able to offer to incentivise EU leaders to factor the UK into their defence thinking.

Latest News

  1. Lawyer suing Frontex takes aim at 'antagonistic' judges
  2. Orban's Fidesz faces low-polling jitters ahead of EU election
  3. German bank freezes account of Jewish peace group
  4. EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania
  5. 'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told
  6. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  7. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult
  8. EU unveils plan to create a European cross-border degree

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  2. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries
  3. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  5. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  6. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us