"The EU and Turkey - the start of a new relationship?
Thanks to the old EU practice of stopping the clock, Turkey and the British Presidency just managed to launch the Turkish accession negotiations before the stroke of midnight on Monday October 3rd. The next formal step in Turkey’s accession process will be the beginning of screening, due to start on October 20th.
Just three hours before the Turkish Foreign Minister, Mr Abdullah Gül arrived in Luxembourg, it was still unclear whether the talks would actually start. Austria, which wants to see ‘privileged partnership’ included in the Negotiating Framework for Turkey, hung on until the very last moment, long after all other countries, including Cyprus, had fallen into line.
Some observers thought this last-ditch opposition, challenging a Council decision, was effectively a breach of the acquis communitaire."
More:The EU and Turkey - the start of a new relationship?
