CLEAR MESSAGE TO EU! "WE CAN DO IT WHEN WE WANT"

Stating that through the reforms carried out they had given Europeans the message that 'they can do it if they wanted', Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis said that there was not a slowing down in the EU accession process and they implemented the National Programme.

Bagis attended the TV programme "Ayla Cetinkaya ile Gune Merhaba" on Cine 5 TV on May 30, 2011 and made evaluations regarding the EU accession process and other issues on the agenda.

Indicating that the steps in the EU accession process were taken not for the Europeans but for our citizens, Bagis said that they worked in order to improve the living standards of their own citizens.

Bagis stated that the previous year they had opened the Food Safety Chapter to negotiations and prohibited the use of GMOs in baby food to be able to open this chapter to negotiations. Bagis added that they ensured that the baby food consumed by our infants was healthier. Stating that they had prohibited the use of high sulphur diesel when they opened Environment Chapter to negotiations, Bagis said that so the air we breathed was healthier. Underlining that the steps taken in EU accession process were advantageous and in favour of Turkey, Bagis said they considered the process as more important than the result for that reason.

Bagis reminded that they amended the Obligations Law and Turkish Law of Commerce together with the opposition parties before the parliament breaks up. Bagis continued as follows: "There are totally 3200 articles in these two laws. If the opposition parties had made a motion for each article or ask for the floor or for quorum for each article we could pass 3200 articles in 5 years."

Bagis said that the opposition, with the support of the civil society organisations, made cooperation with the government on an issue considering Turkish economy. Indicating that a 3 years period without elections would start after 12 June, Bagis said they could work together in the forthcoming period and clear the way for our country just as they had compelled Europeans, through the reforms, to give a date to start accession negotiations.