Jimmy Deenihan
Ceist:19 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the commencement date for EU accession talks with Turkey; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13511/05]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 28 April 2005
Ceisteanna (30)
Freagraí scríofa
Turkey has been a candidate for membership of the EU since the Helsinki European Council in December 1999, which agreed that it was destined to join the Union on the basis of the same criteria applied to the other candidate states. The European Council in Brussels on 16 to 17 December 2004 decided, on the basis of the Commission's report and recommendation, that Turkey sufficiently fulfils the Copenhagen political criteria to enable the opening of accession negotiations. It requested the Commission to begin work on a proposal for a negotiating framework and to present it to the Council, with a view to the opening of accession negotiations on 3 October 2005.
The clear objective of the negotiations will be Turkey's accession to the Union, provided it meets the requirements for membership. The pace of the negotiations will depend in large part on progress in the implementation of Turkey's wide ranging reform programme. Given the substantial financial consequences of Turkish accession, the European Council agreed that it will not be possible to conclude negotiations until after the establishment of the financial framework for the period from 2014.
The December European Council also set out the main elements for future negotiating frameworks with individual candidate states, building on the experience of the current enlargement process and taking account of developments within the EU. Turkey's accession negotiations will take place in the context of an Intergovernmental Conference with the participation of all member states, in which decisions will require unanimity. The European Council agreed that the shared objective of the negotiations will be accession but noted that the process will, inevitably, be an open ended one, the outcome of which cannot be guaranteed in advance.
In preparation for the European Council decision, it was clear that although the search for a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem will remain a UN led process, some movement was necessary by Turkey towards the objective of normalising relations with the Republic of Cyprus, which has been a member state of the Union since 1 May 2004. The European Council welcomed Turkey's decision to sign the protocol adapting the 1963 Ankara agreement of association in order to take account of the accession of ten new member states, including the Republic of Cyprus, and to do so before the actual start of accession negotiations. I welcome the recent agreement by Turkey to the text of the protocol submitted by the Commission. The early signature of the protocol, its ratification and its subsequent implementation would constitute important steps forward towards normalisation of relations between Turkey and the Republic of Cyprus.
In the period ahead, member states will consider proposals from the Commission for a revised accession partnership with Turkey, setting out priorities for the continued implementation of the reform process, which will be central to the accession negotiations. The Council will also consider Commission proposals for a detailed negotiating framework, based on the principles outlined by the European Council. The Government will continue to work with our partners in the Union, and with Turkey, to ensure that all the elements are in place for a successful opening of accession negotiations on 3 October.