Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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892. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which progress continues to be made in respect of the application by Turkey for membership of the European Union; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38398/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Turkeywas granted Candidate status by the European Council in December 1999 and the European Council agreed to begin accession negotiations in December 2004. Fourteen out of thirty-five Chapters have been opened for negotiation, of which one has been provisionally closed. Progress has been slow, due in part to Turkey’s relationship with Cyprus. Ireland takes the view that the accession process is also important to drive forward the country’s reform agenda. Following President Erdogan’s visit to Brussels on 5 October and Chancellor Merkel’s visit to Turkey on 18 October, there has been some discussion about opening new Chapters, in the context of the Joint Action Plan for Turkey. Ireland is open to intensifying engagement on Turkey’s accession, but all benchmarks, of course, must be met. The annual Enlargement Package is expected to be published on Thursday, 5 November. This will provide an opportunity to review progress on accession over the previous year.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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893. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which progress continues to be made in respect of the application for membership of the European Union by the western Balkan applicant countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38399/15]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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906. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which applicant countries for European Union membership continue to have their applications progressed and in accordance with the acquit communautaire; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38413/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 893 and 906 together.

There are currently five countries which have Candidate Status, including four in the Western Balkans – Turkey, Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia, and Albania. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo are potential candidate countries.

Ireland has long been a supporter of Enlargement, which is a conditional process: the European Commission continues to work actively to support prospective member states in implementing reforms in order to make progress on their respective EU paths.

The annual Enlargement Package is expected to be published on Thursday, 5 November. This will provide an important opportunity to review progress on accession over the previous year.