European Union Enlargement: A Status Report on Turkey's Accession Negotiations

The EU Commission could issue its annual report on Turkey's accession progress as early as mid-October. Nothing new or dramatic other than perhaps a more harshly worded assessment of Turkey's progress is expected from the Commission, which apparently does not view its 2009 report as any more important than previous annual reports. The action will likely be in the Council, where some may see December 2009 as a deadline for Turkish action, perhaps forcing EU member states into a difficult debate pitting loyalty to another member state being shunned by a candidate for Union membership versus Europe's long-term strategic interests in Turkey. Thus, the talk could once again be of "train wrecks," the suspension of negotiations, expressions of doubt, revised talk of a different relationship with Turkey, and renewed suggestions that Turkey should never be admitted into the Union. More likely, however, is that if the talks regarding a political settlement on Cyprus appear to be making some positive progress, critical for Turkey's prospects, the Council, after what could be a difficult debate, will defer any decisions regarding Turkey's accession negotiations to a later time. The U.S. Congress has long been supportive of Turkey's eventual membership in the European Union and President Obama, in his visit to Ankara in the spring, reiterated the U.S. government's continued support for Turkey's membership. For additional information on European Union enlargement, see CRS Report RS21344, European Union Enlargement, by Kristin Archick.


This package includes following files:

#	File Name	Document Date	Order ID:	Number of Pages	Price
1	RS22517_10_30_2009.pdf	Oct 08, 2009	RS22517	13	$29.95	Add to Cart

Older Versions: