http://www.aina.org/news/20070421135447.htm EU Refuses to Endorse Turkey's Hopes for 2014 Entry _____
Posted GMT 4-21-2007 18:54:47 _____ The European Union on April 17 refused to endorse Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul's goal of securing Ankara's membership of the 27-nation bloc by 2014. "We are not defining accession dates in advance," said Krisztina Nagy, spokeswoman for EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn. Deadlines for EU entry depended on a country's compliance with the bloc's membership requirements, said Nagy, adding that the focus was on "progress in reform on the ground." The EU, however, welcomed Turkey's road map for membership of the EU, saying a plan and timetable for accession were important requirements for candidate nations. Gul said in Ankara that Turkey could join the EU by 2014 but admitted there was still a great deal of work to be done in meeting EU entry standards. EU officials have been careful not to set any dates for the accession of Turkey or of Croatia although entry negotiations with both countries opened in late 2005. However, given the slow pace of Turkish political reform, EU diplomats have often said negotiations with Ankara could last at least 15 years. Turkey's troubled relationship with Cyprus - which joined the EU in 2005 as a divided island - remains a major stumbling bloc in Ankara's bid to join the EU. EU-Turkey accession talks were partially suspended last year after Ankara refused to establish transport links with Nicosia. As relations with the EU hit a rocky patch, Turkish public support for membership has fallen. Gul insisted in Ankara, however, that Turkey's reform agenda was not being dictated by the EU. "This programme is Turkey's own programme," said Gul, adding that a debate on whether the country should join the EU would result in wasted time. "The important thing is to bring about changes in Turkey," Gul said. Turkey's chief membership negotiator, Ali Babacan, said the road map outlined how most legal reforms would be completed between 2007 and 2008. The reforms would be in place between 2008 and 2009, and by 2013 the reforms should be fully implemented, leaving Turkey ready to join in 2014, he said. Babacan also attempted to play down fears that the reforms could hurt ordinary Turkish citizens. "These changes will not be an obstacle for even one Turkish citizen," Babacan said. On April 16, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warmly welcomed Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a tour of the Hanover trade fair, despite the tensions that have emerged between the two leaders over Ankara's ambitions to join the European Union. Erdogan used the official opening with Merkel of the Hanover show, which is the world's biggest industrial fair, to press Turkey's case for membership of the European Union. Turkey is this year's partner country at the Hanover show. Merkel has stepped back from endorsing Turkey's EU membership drive and has instead talked about the possibility of Ankara forging a privileged partnership with Europe. But as the two leaders toured the fair, Merkel said that the relationship to Turkey would be "firmer and stronger and would be brought forward." Turkey is both a hub and a corridor to Europe and has very important achievements to offer, said Erdogan. "Europe should also see that," the Turkish Prime Minister said. Of the 6400 exhibitors at this year's fair, 270 are Turkish, with energy emerging to play a central role at the Hanover show. But despite the resistance to Ankara's EU membership hopes among several key European leaders, the five-day Hanover fair also underscored how business is helping to pave the way towards greater integration between Europe and Turkey. About 3,000 foreign-owned companies - two-thirds of them from the EU - set up shop in Turkey in 2006. Foreign investment in the nation has almost quadrupled in the last three years. Moreover, despite signs of the growing significance of markets to Turkey's east, the EU remains the nation's leading export market, accounting for about 55 percent of the country's total exports. www.neurope.eu C 2007, Assyrian International News Agency. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use. <http://www.aina.org/terms.html> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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