Brussels, 10/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - Turkey's minister for European Affairs and chief negotiator for its EU accession negotiations, Volkan Bozkir, seemed fairly pleased with the progress report published by the European Commission on Wednesday 8 October (see EUROPE 11172). He believed that the report was “essentially a balanced and objective report”. “In comparison with the previous reports, we note that this year's report was written using a more technical language using a style that avoids value judgments and is mainly based on the Commission's own conclusions”, Bozkir told press. “We will use the progress report as a constructive element to advance Turkey's accession process and to work on the reforms”, he added. Whether or not the negotiation chapters are open, “the government will move forward with the reform process”, he continued.
Bozkir believed that “2014 has been a year of new beginnings in Turkey-EU relations.” “This new period will be more dynamic in 2015 and will certainly contribute to accelerating the accession process. In fact, the regional and global challenges highlight the importance of Turkey's accession process both for Turkey and for the EU”, he added.
“Reform, transformation and communication. These are the three key words that define our accession process, and we are determined to remain committed to this”, Bozkir stated. With the European Commission representatives due to change on 1 November, “we are convinced that the Turkey-EU relations will be strengthened and that the accession process will advance”, he underlined (our translation throughout). (CG)