VIENNA, Austria — A national referendum will be held on Turkey’s EU accession, regardless of the outcome of negotiations between Brussels and Ankara, Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann announced on Tuesday (May 3rd) after meeting with Turkish President Abdullah Gul in Vienna. Gul stressed that Turkey’s membership could provide commercial benefits to bloc members, including Austria. At a Turkish-Austrian business forum, he stressed alternative energy resources. “Turkey is one of the most successful countries in terms of hydroelectric power plants … and one of the world’s most important countries in terms of pipelines,” Gul said.
Separately Tuesday, a group of 57 NGOs submitted a declaration to the European Parliament (EP) in Strasbourg calling for an end to the stalemate in Turkey’s EU accession. Haluk Kabaalioglu, chairman of the Economic Development Foundation, assured EP members that Turkey is still interested in joining the EU. “It is time to indicate that the EU is also interested in Turkey,” he added. (Haber Turk, Anadolu news agency, Hurriyet, Anadolu news agency, Zaman
via Austria to hold referendum on Turkey’s EU membership (SETimes.com).
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