EU starts negotiations with Turkey on enterprise and industry policy

The European Union has started negotiations with Turkey on Enterprise and Industry Policy – the second of 35 policy areas required for EU entry.

Turkey’s accession negotiations were suspended last December because of Ankara’s refusal to open its ports to the Greek Cypriot Side.

The EU is being represented by Germany’s EU Permanent Representative Wilhelm Schonfelder and Turkey by the Minister of State – Chief Negotiator with EU Ali Babacan at today’s Inter-governmental Conference.

After starting in December 2005, Turkey’s accession negotiations were suspended last December because of Ankara’s refusal to open its airport and ports to the Greek Cypriot Administration.

Ankara says that it will open its ports to the Greek Cypriot Administration once the international isolation of the Turkish Cypriot people is lifted.

Meanwhile, the German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose country holds the current EU term-presidency, issued a written statement in which he expressed his happiness on the the recent developments that have taken place in Turkey-EU accession negotiations.

Mr Steinmeier said that Turkey’s EU membership process has been put back on rail and reiterated Germany’s support for the opening of negotiation chapters with Turkey during the first 6 months this year.

He added that the developments on the issue are in line with the EU foreign ministers’ decisions taken during the EU summit in December last year.

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