EU’s Next Term President Says Willing To Keep Up Pace of Negotiations with Turkey

Hungary has expressed commitment that it would maintain the current speed of Turkey’s membership negotiations with the European Union during Budapest’s term presidency.

Belgium is set to handover the rotating helm of the EU to Hungary January 2011.

Appearing in a press meeting on Monday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi — along with the country’s top EU official, Eniko Gyori — said Hungarian presidency would exert efforts to keep EU enlargement process alive, adding that EU’s doors should “remain open” to countries fulfilling accession criteria.

Martonyi said Hungary planned to conclude membership negotiations with Croatia and open accession talks with Macedonia, stressing that keeping the pace of talks with Turkey was important.

In related news, the outgoing Belgian presidency said in a report that “significant progress has been achieved” in the opening of the EU policy chapter on competition in Turkey’s accession talks.

Chapter on competition policy is expected to open in the first months of Hungarian presidency.

In June, Turkey last launched negotiation chapters on food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary under the Spanish helm.

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