On Monday 8 January, the permanent representative of Bulgaria to the EU, Dimiter Tzantchev, announced that his country (which took over the Presidency of the EU Council for six months on 1 January) could help improve relations between the EU and Turkey.
"I believe the communication channels should remain open and be fully exploited. We think we should make endeavours to improve relations between Turkey and the EU", Tzantchev said at a conference with journalists on the priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council. "Founded on good bilateral relations and a specific understanding of Turkey based on a long and shared history, Bulgaria can be very effective on this subject", he said. Tzantchev stated that Turkey was an "important partner not only for Bulgaria but also for the EU", not just in terms of migration but also of security and counter-terrorism, and was "one of the biggest neighbours (of the EU), the biggest country between the EU and the Middle East". He did not, however, speak about Turkey's EU accession process.
In an interview on Bulgarian television channel, BNT1, on 5 January, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker also said the EU should continue discussions with Ankara. "Turkey is in the process of taking big measures that distance it from the EU, but if it wants to come closer to the EU again, we will of course help it. Under the current circumstances, immediate accession to the EU is out of the question", he said.
During a meeting with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Paris the same day, French President Emmanuel Macron said the "recent developments and choices" would not enable any progress in the EU accession process. "It is clear that we must leave behind a hypocrisy that involves thinking a natural progression towards the opening of new (accession negotiation) chapters is possible. This is not true", he said. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)