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29th Mar 2024

Finnish presidency to support further EU enlargement

Finland has said it will back further EU enlargement when it takes on the EU rotating presidency in July, giving a boost to EU hopefuls Croatia and Turkey.

Visiting the Croatian capital of Zagreb on Thursday (18 May), Finnish prime minister Matti Vanhanen said that his country would continue supporting EU enlargement when it takes on the presidency of the 25-nation bloc in July.

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"Finland will continue to support the enlargement of the EU when it takes over the rotating presidency from Austria in July", the Finnish leader said after meeting his Croatian counterpart Ivo Sanader.

"The EU must keep its commitments and Croatia will become a member as soon as it fulfills all the membership criteria," Mr Vanhanen told reporters.

Mr Sanader added that the EU perspective is key for the reform process in the Balkans, troubled with high rates of organised crime and corruption.

"All the countries in southeastern Europe must have a clear perspective of EU and NATO membership. That is the best motivation for keeping up the process of reforms and accepting the European standards," he said.

PM friendlier to Turkey

Just a day earlier, the Finnish prime minister paid a visit to Ankara and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

At the meeting, Mr Vanhanen promised "fruitful cooperation", but also pointed out the conditions that Turkey must meet in order to pass the EU threshold.

Mr Vanhanen and Mr Erdogan discussed the Cyprus question, over which Turkey and the EU have been deadlocked for the past two years.

Brussels has urged Ankara to ratify a customs agreement between Turkey and the expanded EU, which would open Turkish airports and harbours to the EU member, Cyprus.

Turkey has however not recognised the Republic of Cyprus, arguing that the EU must first lift its trade embargo on the Northern part of Cyprus.

Finland's EU presidency to tackle constitution

The Finnish EU presidency will focus on continuing ratification of the EU constitution, transparency, globalisation and climate change, when it takes over the rotating presidency in just over a month's time.

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.

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