"Mr Olli Rehn
Member of the European Commission, responsible for Enlargement
'Accession negotiations with Turkey: the time for celebration is over, now comes the time for delivery'
EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee
Brussels, 23 November 2005
EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee
Brussels, 23 November 2005
Honourable Members of the European Parliament,
Distinguished members of the Turkish Grand National Assembly,
Minister Babacan,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am glad to address this session of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee. You are meeting at an important juncture. The decision of 3 October to begin accession negotiations with Turkey is a historic milestone. Thus, the accession process entered a new stage.
As a first step the Commission and Turkey analyse in detail the laws and policies of the EU and compare them with the legislation of Turkey. This so-called screening process will allow us to find out in which areas Turkey needs to focus efforts in order to align with the EU legislation.
It is worth noting that the accession negotiations are about determining how and when Turkey will adopt the EU acquis; the process is not on whether Turkey will adopt it. Let me be clear on one thing to avoid any future misunderstanding: I have no doubt that Turkey is a great nation. But in the accession negotiations we apply the approach of a former President of a small nation who once said that “there is no such thing as a small nation” – for us in the negotiations, there are no large or small nations. Each and every country must meet the criteria to the letter. There are no shortcuts to Europe, only the regular route."
More:EUROPA - Rapid - Accession negotiations with Turkey: the time for celebration is over, now comes the time for delivery
