Shane McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Question 36: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the possibility of Turkey joining the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5327/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Turkey has had a perspective towards membership of the European Union since the conclusion of the Association Agreement of 1963, although negotiations on accession did not open until 2005.

Negotiations with Turkey are proceeding, albeit at a slow pace. Of the thirty five negotiating chapters, ten are now open, of which one has been provisionally closed. In its 2008 assessment of Turkey's preparations for accession, the Commission calls on Turkey to reinvigorate the process of political reform. It states that significant further reforms are needed, in particular on amending the rules governing political parties; freedom of expression and freedom of religion; and to establish an ombudsman function. In the Commission's view, further progress is also needed in other areas such as judicial reform, the fight against corruption, gender equality, minority rights and the civilian control of the military and to bring the legislation on trade unions into line with ILO and EU standards. The Progress Report makes it clear that the pace of the accession negotiations will reflect the pace of reform as well as Turkey's fulfilment of the necessary conditions for membership.