Ministers decided talks should start on the environment but that eight other policy areas, known as chapters, would stay frozen due to Turkey's failure to comply with a 2005 agreement to open its ports and airports to EU member Cyprus.
"Eight chapters are frozen because of the non-compliance by Turkey [...] and they cannot be opened because Turkey is not complying," EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told a news conference.
Turkey's frustration has mounted over what it considers slow progress in its accession talks, which are closely watched by foreign investors for any sign of problems.
Ankara says it will open up to traffic from the Greek Cypriot southern part of Cyprus if the EU ends the isolation of Turkish Cypriot north of the island. Turkish Cypriots declared an independent state in 1983 but only Turkey recognises it.
In a statement issued after Tuesday's meeting, the 27 EU ministers expressed "deep regret" over the absence of an improvement in Turkey's relations with Cyprus. But they took no new action to restrict talks beyond the eight areas frozen in 2006 and five which have been set aside at France's insistance.
Countries seeking to join the EU must hold negotiations to ensure they bring domestic laws into line with EU rules. Turkey has opened 11 chapters out of 35 since starting talks in 2005.
Mixed message
The EU has welcomed Turkey's progress in some reform areas, such as the judiciary and relations with the military, but wants more done in other areas such as human rights and freedom of expression and religion.
It often mixes praise with criticism of Turkey because it wants to encourage reforms and sees Ankara as a potentially important energy transit partner, offering an alternative to Russia as a source of supplies.
The EU also hopes to avoid doing anything that might disrupt talks on the reunification of Cyprus, a Mediterranean island divided in a Turkish invasion in 1974 that was triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup.
Cyprus' foreign minister, Markos Kyprianou, expressed satisfaction with Tuesday's decision but said Cyprus intended to set conditions for the opening of six future chapters to secure Turkey's compliance with the 2005 agreement.
"We are not blocking the chapters," he told reporters. "But we will be introducing conditions for the opening of each chapter."
The conditions would be related to Turkey's broad EU obligations but gave no details on how compliance would be measured, Kyprianou added.
(EurActiv with Reuters.)
