Vol. 489 No. 4
58 Mr. Spring asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has satisfied himself with the state of relations between the EU and Turkey since the Luxembourg European Council meeting; and the plans, if any, he or his EU colleagues have to improve these relations. [8192/98]
The European Council, meeting at Luxembourg on 12-13 December, confirmed Turkey's eligibility for accession to the EU on the basis of the same criteria as the other applicant states. While the political and economic conditions allowing accession negotiations to be envisaged are not satisfied, the European Council nonetheless considered it important to draw up a strategy to prepare Turkey for accession by bringing it closer to the European Union in every field. The strategy included, inter alia, the development of the possibilities afforded by the EC-Turkey Association Agreement, an intensification of the Customs Union, implementation of financial co-operation and participation in certain programmes and agencies. On 4 March the European Commission brought forward a communication to the Council of Ministers elaborating on the possibilities afforded by the strategy outlined at Luxembourg, and Council will be considering these proposals in the coming months.
In addition, the European Council at Luxembourg invited Turkey to participate in the European Conference, which had its inaugural meeting on 12 March in London. The conference was designed to bring together the member states of the European Union and the states aspiring to accede to it, with the objective of stepping up their dialogue and co-operation in areas of common interest.
The European Council also indicated that strengthening Turkey's links with the EU depends on that country's pursuit of the political and economic reforms on which it has embarked, including the alignment of human rights standards and practices with those in force in the EU, respect for and protection of minorities, the establishment of satisfactory and stable relations between Greece and Turkey, the settlement of disputes by legal process, including the international court of justice and support for negotiations under the aegis of the UN on a political settlement in Cyprus on the basis of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
