Chief EU negotiator Bagis: "Turkey needs major constitutional changes to join the EU"

Speaking at a conference at Istanbul's Fatih University yesterday on the Treaty of Lisbon and Turkey's European Union accession process, State Minister and chief negotiator for EU talks Egemen Bagis said Turkey needs sweeping changes to its current Constitution to join the bloc. "Turkey cannot join the Union with its current Constitution," he said. "I hope we'll make good use of the period after local elections (late this month) by changing and modernizing the Constitution with the support of opposition parties." On the treaty, a 2007 package of reforms for the EU (including curbing countries' veto power) which faces widespread public opposition in many member states, Bagis said, "Turkey needs the approval of 27 EU member states to open chapters in membership negotiations with the Union. But when the Treaty of Lisbon is approved, the EU decision-making process will work faster." Stating that the EU suffers from a serious energy supply security problem, Bagis said Turkey is the most critical country for the realization of the Nabucco Project to meet Europe's energy needs. Asked whether the Turkish people still support EU accession, Bagis said a clear majority, 65 percent of the people, do support the bid.