Rehn: "How the EU treats Turkey's EU bid will test its will to be a global player"

Whether the European Union will become a global player or not will be determined by its treatment of Turkey's accession bid, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn said yesterday. Speaking to reporters after an intergovernmental meeting between Turkey and the Union where the environment chapter was opened as part of Turkey's EU accession talks, Rehn said that since 1999, when Turkey was given candidate country status, Turkey's EU process has seen ups and downs. "The years of downs recently ended, and stability has been reached. Turkey's EU process began seeing significant progress with the establishment of stability in the country," he said. "What is crucial is to preserve the strategic approach and for Turkey to continue reforms to strengthen basic freedoms, the rule of law, and other EU values and standards." The opening of the environment chapter shows that Turkey's EU bid is moving forward, Rehn added. EU Term President Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, for his part, said Turkey's accession talks had reached a more "demanding" level. More comprehensive reforms are needed in Turkey, Bildt said. Stressing the importance of Ankara's initiative to solve the Kurdish issue, Bildt said he believes Turkey will continue its EU reforms. As the EU public debate over Turkey continues, the strategic importance of Turkey's accession process becomes clearer, he said. Joining the EU is harder now than it was 10 or 20 years ago, he added. Rehn and Bildt wore pins of the flags of Turkey and the EU side by side while speaking to reporters. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, State Minister and Chief Negotiator for EU talks Egemen Bagis and Environment and Forestry Minister Veysel Eroglu were also present at the press conference. With the opening of the environment chapter, 12 out of 33 chapters in Turkey's EU accession talks have been opened.