Turkey and EU Relations Troubled

Turkey’s chief negotiator for EU talks said Tuesday that Turkey would be able to open 16 more chapter headings if political impediments could be eliminated.

“Unfortunately, we don’t feel ourselves in a fair negotiation process at the moment. According to our analysis, Turkey will be able to open 16 more chapter headings in case political obstacles are removed. I mean Turkey feels it is able to open 29 chapter headings,” State Minister Egemen Bağış said while addressing the 25th conference of the Confederation of Asia Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industr, or CACCI, to be held at Istanbul’s Ciragan Palace.

Bağış said Turkey has been passing through a changing process, mainly with its democracy and economy. “Particularly, constitutional change includes very important elements. Those elements made Turkey closer to EU standards,” he said.

The minister said Turkey opened only 13 of the 32 chapter headings in negotiation process with the EU. “Remaining 17 chapter headings have been blocked politically. As a result of our studies, we will open 12 chapter headings in three months. This means we will be able to close 13 chapter headings. Turkey endeavors to eliminate political obstructions,” Bağış said.

He said Turkey managed to open framework, environment and food safety chapter headings, noting it was preparing to open the chapter on competition. Bağış said Turkey has been working on the social policy and public procurements chapters.

Bağış said the EU was suffering from energy crisis and 70 percent of the energy EU needed passed by the south, north or through the middle of Turkey, and underlined the importance of Turkey in dealing with the energy crisis.

Bağış said 16 EU member countries have been suffering from the economic crisis. “Turkey did its best to fulfill EU criteria properly and succeeded in most of them. Turkey changed for the better on issues like inflation and unemployment,” he said.

“Our European counterparts say the ball is in Turkey’s court from now on. If the ball is on our court, we want to play quickly from now on. However, our partners do not pass the ball to us adequately.”

Chief Negotiator Bağış said there was no other goal but full membership in the EU. “Turkey wants a fair negotiation process. We don’t want any more burden on us,” he said.

SOURCE: HURRIYET