THE OPENING OF CHAPTER 22 HAS BEEN APPROVED

The opening of Chapter 22 on Regional Policy and Coordination of Structural Instruments has been approved by the General Affairs Council of the EU. An Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) will be held on 5 November in Brussels for an official announcement of the opening of the Chapter.

Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis said regarding this matter, “We hope that our visit to Brussels on 5 November will be a new beginning and we will be in a period in which Turkey’s relations with the EU will improve even further and unreasonable, unnecessary and pointless political blockages will be lifted.”

During a programme broadcast on NTV, Bağış evaluated the decision to open a new chapter after three years as a “positive development that has been long delayed”, with reference to developments in Turkey’s EU membership. Bagis, who reminded that whereas the decision had been taken in the previous EU Presidency, it had been postponed until after publication of the 2013 Progress Report on Turkey due to the objection of Germany, said that they had requested the initiation of the necessary procedures for the opening of the Chapter immediately after the Report. Bagis, who said that the EU Member States had also taken the decision to open Chapter 22 on 5 November, indicated that they would go to Brussels with Minister for Development Cevdet Yilmaz for the opening of the Chapter.

Bagis, in response to questions regarding his expectations on Chapters 23 and 24, reminded that Member of the European Commission Responsible for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle clearly called for the opening of these two Chapters in the period of the publication of the Progress Report. Egemen Bagis also said:

“We always stressed that we would, as Turkey, gladly welcome opening of these Chapters, because 90% of the criticisms directed towards Turkey either in official statements or talks are related to these two Chapters. Issues such as fundamental rights, the judiciary, freedom of expression, freedom of conscience are the most frequently discussed subjects in Turkey-EU relations. These are issues dealt in Chapters 23 and 24. These two Chapters are priority chapters in the framework of a decision taken by the EU two years ago. Candidate countries should open these Chapters before opening the others.

Turkey, as a country which has opened fourteen Chapters so far, has not opened these two Chapters yet. The reason is not Turkey or Turkey’s deficiencies in this area, but that the EU has not determined the opening criteria for these Chapters. And the only reason for this is that the Southern Greek Cypriot Administration has blocked the opening of these two Chapters in the accession negotiations with Turkey as a candidate country, although it has voted in favour of prioritising these Chapters. In other words, whereas the EU tells Turkey to fulfil the criteria, it is not able to set these out. One Member State is causing the obstruction. The requirement of unanimity in the EU unfortunately allows for one Member State to block the entire process even it is a peninsular country. In fact, the requirement of unanimity is also the main reason for the economic crises in the EU.”

Indicating that he hoped the other 27 EU Member States persuade the Southern Greek Cypriot Administration and remove the blockages on these two Chapters, Bagis also underlined that Turkey had also taken many steps in this area. Bagis also evaluated the “Maraş proposal” of the Southern Greek Cypriot Administration and said, “In the entire history of the EU, there has never been a country that has conceded territory in order to open a Chapter. Turkey will certainly not be the first.”