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 The European Union formally opened accession negotiations with Turkey and Croatia at the 12 June meeting of the Council of the European Union.
The first chapter of accession negotiations, on science and technology, was opened and closed for both countries, but an eleventh-hour objection from Cyprus, which initially refused to endorse the common position since Turkey had failed to recognise its government and had not kept its promise to open its ports, caused some delays. There had also been recent criticism from senior figures in the EU that Turkish progress in implementing the reforms necessary for membership had stalled. There are 35 chapters in all, each dealing with different policy areas in which Turkish and Croatian law must comply with the EU’s acquis communautaire.
14 June 2006
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