Brussels, 22/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - A further step in the implementation of the Helsinki European Council's decision to recognise Turkey as an applicant country was made on Thursday through the creation of eight new sub-committees which will open structured contacts to intensify the harmonisation of Turkey's legislation and practice and also the implementation of the "acquis communautaire". The creation of these subcommittees is part of the pre-accession strategy for Turkey and the other applicant countries, involving enhanced political dialogue and an analytical examination of the EU "acquis communautaire". Both the EU and Turkey have agreed on the necessary structures and mechanism, including the eight subcommittees which will monitor progress both in the field of legal approximation of the whole "acquis communautaire" and the implementation of the priorities of the Accession Partnership with Turkey which aims to prepare for the country's membership of the EU. Such a document will be established for the first time by the end of this year.
The subcommittees held their first meeting on Thursday, opened by the European Commission's Director General for Enlargement, Mr Landaburu. Meetings are scheduled for Friday to cover agriculture and fisheries, two areas which cover almost half of the "acquis communautaire". Further meetings will discuss issues on legal approximation in areas such as Energy, Transport, the Environment and the Internal Market.