Гоч
33 1/3 rpm
- Член од
- 17 мај 2009
- Мислења
- 1.417
- Поени од реакции
- 47
EU enlargement commissioner vows to keep Turkey talks going
Brussels- The European Union will push ahead with accession negotiations with Turkey despite opposition in key member states such as France and Germany, the Czech diplomat poised to become the EU's next enlargement commissioner vowed Tuesday. "I intend to go ahead with accession negotiations with Turkey," said Stefan Fuele during his formal confirmation hearing in front of the European Parliament in Brussels.
"They are the best leverage we have to help Turkey modernise," the Czech diplomat said, stressing that despite ongoing concerns about human rights, "there has been a lot of progress" in the country as "many taboos from the past ... are now debated openly in society".
The parliament is due to vote on the appointment of the new European Commission on January 26, after completing individual hearings with all 26 designated commissioners. Accession talks with Turkey started in October 2005, but have since stalled due to a lack of progress in democratic reforms in the country and wrangling over the "Cyprus question".
According to the so-called Ankara Protocol agreement, Turkey is supposed to enforce a customs union with all EU members. But it refuses to do so with the Greek part of Cyprus, which joined the bloc in 2004 after the failure of a reunification plan with the Turkish part of the island.
In response, in 2006 the EU froze eight of the 35 chapters that make up the accession negotiations. But Turkey refuses to budge, claiming that the EU on its part has failed to deliver on its promise to end the economic isolation of the Turkish Cypriots.
Fuele promised on Tuesday that "as far as the Ankara Protocol is concerned, it will not be business as usual", vowing to raise the issue in meetings with Turkish officials and to report on it in December.
Diplomats hope the issue can be resolved by the reunification of the island, over which negotiations have restarted in September 2008.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/...issioner-vows-to-keep-turkey-talks-going.html
Brussels- The European Union will push ahead with accession negotiations with Turkey despite opposition in key member states such as France and Germany, the Czech diplomat poised to become the EU's next enlargement commissioner vowed Tuesday. "I intend to go ahead with accession negotiations with Turkey," said Stefan Fuele during his formal confirmation hearing in front of the European Parliament in Brussels.
"They are the best leverage we have to help Turkey modernise," the Czech diplomat said, stressing that despite ongoing concerns about human rights, "there has been a lot of progress" in the country as "many taboos from the past ... are now debated openly in society".
The parliament is due to vote on the appointment of the new European Commission on January 26, after completing individual hearings with all 26 designated commissioners. Accession talks with Turkey started in October 2005, but have since stalled due to a lack of progress in democratic reforms in the country and wrangling over the "Cyprus question".
According to the so-called Ankara Protocol agreement, Turkey is supposed to enforce a customs union with all EU members. But it refuses to do so with the Greek part of Cyprus, which joined the bloc in 2004 after the failure of a reunification plan with the Turkish part of the island.
In response, in 2006 the EU froze eight of the 35 chapters that make up the accession negotiations. But Turkey refuses to budge, claiming that the EU on its part has failed to deliver on its promise to end the economic isolation of the Turkish Cypriots.
Fuele promised on Tuesday that "as far as the Ankara Protocol is concerned, it will not be business as usual", vowing to raise the issue in meetings with Turkish officials and to report on it in December.
Diplomats hope the issue can be resolved by the reunification of the island, over which negotiations have restarted in September 2008.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/...issioner-vows-to-keep-turkey-talks-going.html
