EU Affairs Committee to meet Turkish counterparts and elect Vice-Chairman

The Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Union Affairs will tomorrow meet with members of the Turkish parliament for an exchange of views, which are likely to focus on the latest state of play in the Turkish accession process.

24 September 2013  

At the meeting, the Committee are also expected to elect at Vice-Chairman.

In 1987, Turkey applied to join what was then the European Economic Community, and in 1997 it was declared eligible to join the EU. Turkey's involvement with European integration however dates back to 1959.

Chairman of the Committee Dominic Hannigan TD says: ““Enlargement is undoubtedly one of the European Union’s most successful policies, and has been a focus of our Committee’s work. We look forward to hearing from a delegation of Turkish parliamentarians on their country’s longstanding campaign for full European Union membership. With some progress on related files during the Irish EU Presidency, this is a timely opportunity to hear from Turkish parliamentarians on accession.

“Last year, our Committee hosted Egemen Bagis, the Turkish Minister for Europe and Principal Negotiator for EU Membership, for a detailed discussion on Turkish membership of the European Union. The Minister explained to us that Turkey’s long accession process, in which greater democracy, transparency and prosperity have been nurtured, was more important in many ways to his country’s progress than the end goal of European Union membership. Minister Bagis was also emphatic in his view that the EU’s role in peace-building and fostering stability was a greater attraction to Turkey than any economic argument. Our Committee hopes to resume this productive and candid dialogue with our Turkish counterparts at tomorrow’s meeting.”

The meeting takes place tomorrow Wednesday 25 September at 2 pm in Committee Room 1, Leinster House 2000 tomorrow.

Committee proceedings can be followed here. 

Media enquiries to:
Paul Hand,
Communications Unit,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 4484
M: +353 87 694 9926

Committee Membership
Deputies: Eric Byrne, Seán Crowe, Timmy Dooley, Bernard J. Durkan, John Halligan, Dominic Hannigan (Chair), Seán Kyne, Dara Murphy and Joe O’Reilly
Senators: Colm Burke, John Kelly, Terry Leyden, Catherine Noone and Kathryn Reilly