Europe will celebrate on Thursday the 10th anniversary of the most extensive EU enlargement ever. Ten years ago, on 1 May 2004, ten countries joined the EU: Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta.
Evangelos Venizelos, the foreign minister of Greece, which holds the Council of the EU's rotating presidency, said on Tuesday that the main obstacle to Macedonia’s EU membership was the country’s lack of respect for European values.
Amid EU concerns over the state of democracy in Turkey, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan pushed for Turkey's EU membership bid on Monday in his first visit to Brussels in 5 years. Erdogan's trip comes after top EU officials expressed their worries on the independence of the Turkish judiciary system and the lack of media freedom.
Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström signed today (16 December) in Ankara a landmark agreement opening the way for lifting visa requirements for Turks travelling to the EU within three years. Malmström also signed with the Turkish Minister of Interior Muammer Güler a EU-Turkey readmission agreement.
EU ministers agreed on Tuesday to resume accession talks with Turkey on November 5th after a three year break. Originally scheduled in June, negotiations were put on hold after the EU accused Turkish police of using excessive force against anti-government protests earlier this year.
Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, yesterday (30 September) unveiled a long-awaited democratic reform plan to bouquets from the European Commission and brickbats from his parliamentary opposition.
MEPs on Wednesday lashed out at Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdo?an over the violent response to the protests in Istanbul. The demonstration began as a peaceful sit-in against government plans to build a shopping centre in central Istanbul. But it has now evolved into wide anti-government protest that has polarised the country. The EU expressed concern about the use of police force after clashes with the protesters left 5,000 injured and 4 dead.
Crunch talks aimed at ending the ethnic partition of Serbia's former Kosovo province broke up without result early this morning (3 April), in a major setback for Serbia's hopes of starting EU membership negotiations this year.