EUSG'S 10TH ANNIVERSARY

Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis released a written message for the 10th anniversary of the establishment of EUSG.

In his message, Egemen Bagis stated that EUSG, established with the Law on the establishment of EUSG dated July 4, 2000, after 1999 Helsinki Summit during which Turkey was recognised as a candidate state; was successfully fulfilling its duties especially after the recent changes in the institution.

Bagis declared that after the change in the EUSG law in 2009, Secretariat General with its new departments and dynamic personnel, made a difference in the process; and he said: "in the European Union process progressing under the leadership of our Prime Minister, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, our government has taken historic steps like the opening of accession negotiations and assignment of a Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator exclusively responsible for the EU Affairs. Changes in the Secretariat General should be considered within this framework."

Bagis said: "We are not living in the world same as the world of ten years ago; many things have changed and are changing." He continued as follows:

"Balance in the Turkey-EU relations is also changing. As Turkey develops, strengthens, gets richer; Turkey and EU relations are also evolving to a different point. EU member states also began to notice that an EU without Turkey is not possible. It is for sure that the responsibility of the Secretariat General is increasing as the Turkey's EU membership gets closer. EUSG responsible for the accession process also brings up the bureaucrats who are going to take office in the EU institutions after Turkey's accession.

I celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Secretariat General for EU Affairs which will enable the accession process to be completed at the shortest possible time and thank all the personnel working in the Secretariat General and wish their success to continue."

Source: AA