“Every long process begins with a first step”, Foreign Minister Plassnik, President of the Council, said on the occasion of the first accession conference with Turkey on 12 June 2006. The Turkish side was represented by Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül. At the conference, the EU and Turkey reached agreement on the provisional closure of the “Science and research” chapter, the first of a total of thirty five negotiating chapters, eight months after the start of the accession process in October 2005.
In the “Science and research” policy area, the body of EU law to be incorporated in national legislation is limited and the subject matter is therefore relatively easy to handle. In addition, the European Commission’s screening report endorsed Turkey’s high level of approximation of laws in this area and its ability to implement EU legislation.
This accession conference was preceded by lengthy negotiations in the EU Council to determine the EU’s common negotiating position. “This delay did not come as a surprise to us. It is a warning sign for Turkey”, Plassnik stressed.
She referred to the disappointment on the EU side at the lack of progress on fulfilling the commitments under the additional protocol to the customs union agreement between the EU and Turkey, which extends the customs union to all new EU Member States, including Cyprus. “If we do not see movement and concrete steps in this issue, if the customs union with Turkey excludes one Member State, sooner or later we will run into serious difficulties. There is a risk we will end up in a blind alley”, Plassnik said. The same applied to the broad field of political criteria, according to the minister. Here, too, systematic reform work at all levels was required.
Plassnik recalled the unanimity required for each negotiating step on the EU side: "We should be clear in our minds that every step will have to be approved by every EU member. There are no shortcuts and nothing is automatic. If Turkey is not prepared to move, there are problems ahead."
"Today should serve both as an incentive and as a warning to Turkey. Many forces will have to be mobilised for the next steps, Plassnik concluded.
Email Service
Accreditation
Hotel Reservation
Route Planner
Weather