Written answers

Wednesday, 19 September 2012

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

EU Enlargement

Photo of Tommy BroughanTommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on a possible timeframe for Turkey joining the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39575/12]

Photo of Eamon GilmoreEamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

This Government remains supportive of Turkey’s EU candidacy. Turkey is currently in accession negotiations. Accession may follow once the country fulfils the established membership criteria and provided that EU member States and the European Commission are satisfied that all the conditions have been met. However, progress on Turkey’s EU accession has been very slow of late, with the last Chapter in the negotiations opened in 2010. Some 12 of the 33 negotiating Chapters have been officially opened and 1 provisionally closed. Of the remaining 21 Chapters, negotiations on 8 of them have been suspended by the Council since December 2006, due to Turkey’s failure to meet its obligations under the Ankara Protocol, i.e. normalisation of relations with Cyprus. The Council also agreed that it will not decide on provisionally closing Chapters until the Commission verifies that Turkey has fulfilled its commitments related to the Protocol. A further 4 Chapters remain frozen since the French Presidential Elections in 2007 and Cyprus is blocking another 6. This leaves 3 Chapters with a possibility of being opened.

In the absence of movement in the enlargement negotiations, Turkey is still proceeding, nonetheless, with reforms including plans for a new Constitution, in part to bring it more in line with EU standards. In May this year the European Commission and Turkey launched a ‘Positive Agenda’ to examine where progress might be possible on 8 Chapters. This raises the possibility that the Irish Presidency may be able to open Chapters, if sufficient progress can be achieved. Enlargement is a negotiated process and, as in any negotiation, the eventual outcome and timeframe cannot be predetermined. We will be working closely with Turkey, with the European Commission, and with our EU partners and will make every effort to move the agenda forward during our Presidency. Minister of State Creighton visited Turkey in July this year, in part to discuss areas for possible progress during our Presidency. I hope to receive the Turkish Minister for European Affairs in Dublin later this year.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.