Ankara's Chief EU Negotiator Bagis: "New chapter in talks will open on June 30"

Dispelling concerns that Spain's six-month European Union presidency could end without any new chapters beginning in Turkey's EU accession negotiations, Ankara's Chief EU Talks Negotiator Egemen Bagis yesterday said that a new chapter would open on June 30, the last day of Spain's presidency. President Abdullah Gul announced at an awards ceremony in Istanbul over the weekend that he had signed the recently passed Food Safety Law, which the EU required to open the chapter on food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy. "We're catching up with EU standards on agriculture and food safety," Bagis said of the new chapter opening.