Luxembourg, 22/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 22 October, the European affairs ministers confirmed the opening of a new negotiating chapter on regional policy with Turkey - three years after the opening of the last one in June 2010. The intergovernmental conference with Turkey at ministerial level on Chapter 22 (regional policy and coordination of structural instruments) will take place in Brussels on 5 November. The decision to open this chapter was taken at the Council on 25 June (see EUROPE 10874) but the ministers then decided that the intergovernmental conference would take place after the presentation of the European Commission's annual report in October and following a discussion at the Council. This two-stage decision was due to the concerns of several member states about the response of the Turkish government to the peaceful demonstrations in the spring. This chapter was previously blocked by France, which announced the lifting of its veto on this on 12 February.
The first of a new series? Welcoming this decision which “represents an important stage”, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle said that the accession negotiations must pick up momentum. He hoped that other chapters will be opened. In its progress report (see EUROPE 10944), the Commission called for the opening of other chapters. Germany's minister, Michael Link, believed that this opening is “a good signal”, while Lithuania's foreign affairs minister, Linas Linkevicius, congratulated his “Turkish friends” on the opening of a new chapter. Their Slovak counterpart, Miroslav Lajcak, said that the resumption of the process is good news and an encouragement for Turkey. In the view of the British spokesperson, this agreement at the Council is a truly welcome step. He said that the EU process has led to vast reform in Turkey and that there was a common interest in maintaining an active and credible accession process.
Asked about the opening of other chapters, Linkevicius said that “this is not possible. It's not ruled out but it's premature to talk about it”. European Commissioner for Interinstitutional Relations Maros Sefcovic said that “the process of enlargement is based on very precise criteria”, and he underlined that it is necessary to be “credible on both sides”.
The leader of the delegation at the mixed EU-Turkey joint parliamentary committee, Hélène Flautre (Greens/EFA, France) hailed the Council's decision, stating that “regional policy constitutes a real challenge for Turkey. During negotiations on this chapter, the EU must accompany Turkey and encourage decentralisation of the state more, especially through constitutional reform”.
For the Turkish mission to the EU, the decision to have a date for the intergovernmental meeting is “a good start” but “more should follow to maintain the process” (our translation throughout).
The accession negotiation between the EU and Turkey began on 3 October 2005. Chapter 22 is the 14th chapter open in the negotiations with Turkey out of 35, and one chapter has been provisionally closed. The Council has blocked eight chapters. France is unilaterally blocking four chapters, and the Republic of Cyprus six. Only three chapters can be opened in their current state - the chapters on public procurement (5), competition (8) and social policy and employment (19). (CG/transl.fl)