Brussels, 28/06/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 30 June, Turkey and the EU are expected to open a further chapter in accession negotiations: food safety and phytosanitary issues. The Council's Enlargement Working Group discussed a draft common position on Monday 28 June, which provides for a range of “closing benchmarks” which Ankara must meet before the chapter can be closed. The debate among member states on these benchmarks will continue on Tuesday 29 June, the aim being to reach agreement which will then be approved by Coreper on Wednesday before the meeting with Turkish negotiators. In all, Turkey will then have closed 13 of the 35 chapters. At the moment, only one has been provisionally closed.
Croatia. Croatia, too, will take a huge step in its accession talks on 30 June, with the closure of two chapters (public procurement and taxation) and the opening of the last three chapters still to be dealt with: competition, ESDP, and justice and fundamental rights. Despite this progress, it remains unlikely that Zagreb will be able to close negotiations in 2010. Belgium, which will take over the presidency of the EU from Spain on 1 July, has refused to give any commitment on the closure of talks in the course of the next six months. It wants to assist and support Croatian efforts to close negotiations “as soon as the conditions have been met,” it says in the Belgian programme. “Some hard work needs to be done by Croatia. The timeline (closure of negotiations by the end of the year) seems to be very narrow. We don't engage ourselves on any timing,” stated Belgian Foreign Affairs Minister Steven Vanackere presenting the programme (see EUROPE 10168).
The EU has set very strict closure criteria for the three chapters to be opened on 30 June. With regard to justice and fundamental rights, Croatia will have, above all, to enhance the independence and effectiveness of its justice system, improve the handling of domestic war crimes cases, improve efforts to tackle corruption and ensure full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Before closing the common foreign and security policy chapter, Croatia will have, particularly, to align its national policy on control of small arms and light weapons with that of the EU. On competition policy, Zagreb will, above all, have to present an updated national restructuring programme for the steel sector and ensure full compliance with EU state aid rules in the shipbuilding sector. (H.B./transl.rt)