"Feature - Ali Babacan: Turkey’s European face
By Myria Antoniadou
HIS appointment took much longer than was expected. It was said the various forces within Turkey were trying to impose their own man for the country’s top EU-related job.
Finally, under the pressure for Ankara to show it was on track despite growing anti-Turkish public sentiment and frustration at the Commission for the delay, Prime Minister Erdogan imposed his will: Ali Babacan, the 38-year-old US trained Finance Minister and founding member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) was also appointed chief negotiator in the talks with the EU on June 3.
This week, Babacan was in Brussels for acquaintance meetings with some Commissioners and his first public appearance, before the European Parliament. What was obvious was that Babacan still has a long way to go until he learns the ins and outs of the EU, and, more importantly, how to handle them."
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