EU opens talks with Ankara on two more chapters

At the Fifth Intergovernmental Conference in Luxembourg yesterday, the European Union opened accession talks with Turkey on two more chapters, namely corporate law and intellectual property law. Since its talks were launched in fall of 2005, Turkey has opened negotiations in eight policy areas. Speaking to reporters afterwards, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, whose country now holds the EU's rotating presidency, expressed hope that Turkey's accession process will continue smoothly. Touching on the closure case against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), he said that the EU sees the case as a domestic issue and called it "extraordinary" in terms of the Union. Reiterating that the case has caused concern in Europe and warning that the EU will have to reexamine the Turkish political system, Rupel said that the court ruling on the case should be made in line with European norms and standards.