Articles related to "Turkey accession and Cyprus"

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan took a step towards extending his powers today (6 November) after his ruling AK Party presented to parliament a proposal to set up a presidential system.

A hard-liner won yesterday's (18 April) elections in Northern Cyprus, which is recognised internationally only by Turkey. The development is seen by many as a blow for talks to reunify the divided island and a setback for Turkey's EU bid.

Turkish EU Affairs Minister and chief negotiator Egemen Bagiş said his country will pursue a strong communication strategy aimed at opening six new negotiation chapters during the coming year, EurActiv Turkey reported on 23 November.

Cypriot officials have rejected demands from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to hand two seats in the next European Parliament to MEPs hailing from the breakaway northern part of the island, which has so far only been recognised by Ankara. EurActiv Turkey contributed to this article.

Cypriot President Demetris Christofias has issued a warning to his European counterparts over Turkish interference with his efforts, together with the leader of the Turkish community Mehmet Ali Talat, to achieve a historic reunification of the island country.

Greek Cypriots, acting between 8 and 9 March 2007, unilaterally tore down a five-metre wall in the heart of Cyprus capital Nicosia.

Cyprus has rejected Turkey’s offer to open one port and one airport to traffic from the island. Uncertainties remain on the conditions attached to the proposal, one week ahead of a decisive EU summit.

France and Germany have signalled their intention to set an 18-month deadline for Turkey to open trade links with Cyprus.

The Commission, on 29 November 2006, recommended to partially suspend Turkey’s EU membership negotiations due to a lack of compromise on the Cyprus issue.

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül signalled that Turkey refused a 6 December deadline set by the EU, making a suspension of EU-Turkey negotiations more likely.

The Council held a debate on the EU’s enlargement strategy on 13 November 2006 - member states remain divided over a possible suspension of talks with Turkey.

The Commission’s progress report on Turkey contains some harsh criticism on the reform slow-down but refrains from recommending a suspension of talks.

Following the Cyprus setback, both sides are stepping up efforts to prevent a complete stalemate ahead of the Commission’s report, which is expected to be highly critical of Turkey’s progress.

A crisis meeting set to solve the Cyprus issue before the Commission’s November 8 report has been called off - Turkish EU-membership talks may break down.

The EU has increased pressure on both parties to find a solution to the current stalemate on the Cyprus issue. The outcome of the negotiations is crucial for the verdict that the EU will pass in its upcoming progress report for Turkey.

The Parliament has voted on a report that puts Turkey under pressure to reform further. Nevertheless, a controversial clause on Armenian genocide recognition was dropped.

This autumns’ enlargement agenda is loaded with tricky issues, from Turkey and Cyprus to Bulgaria and Romania, and the definition of the EU's 'absorption capacity'.

Wanting to 'win back the citizens' the Finnish presidency sets out to do more than business as usual. The Turkey-Cyprus issue looms as a potential crisis.

Barely a week after the opening of the first negotiating chapter, Turkey's refusal to recognise Cyprus is increasingly poisoning relations between the EU and Turkey.

Greek Cypriot voters have confirmed the governing coalition of President Tassos Papadopoulos in the 21 May parliamentary elections. The result is likely to reinforce Papadopoulos's rejection of the island's reunification. 

The EU's foreign ministers have approved a controversial aid package for northern Cyprus. The move was welcomed by the Greek Cypriots. However, Turkey said that the deal could create new problems.

According to British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, the Greek Cypriots are seeking to marginalise the Turkish Cypriots. In turn, the Greek Cypriots say that Britain "no longer has the necessary credibility".

Turkey has announced a fresh initiative to resolve the Cyprus conflict. The EU welcomes the move, but the Greek Cypriots' reaction has been much less positive.

The Commission's 9 November monitoring report on Turkey will be "far from pleasant reading for Ankara".

Turkey and Croatia are both on the official path to full EU membership after a long day of gruelling EU negotiations.

The EP has backed opening negotiations with Turkey but has postponed a vote on the customs union between Turkey and the 10 new member states.

In a hard-earned declaration, the EU is calling on Turkey to move towards normal relations with Nicosia. Finally, the stage appears set for membership talks with Ankara to start in October.

The Union itself appears to have become the last key obstacle to the opening of EU accession talks with Turkey on 3 October.

The political limbo enveloping Turkey's EU bid continued on 1 September when the European Parliament decided to postpone a key vote on Ankara's revised customs union with the EU.

Turkey has made it clear that a protocol extending its customs union to the EU-10 does not mean it recognises Cyprus. France says Ankara must recognise Cyprus before talks can start while the UK says setting such a new condition now might be seen as a "breach of good faith".

Appearing before the European Parliament, UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has called on the EU to give Turkey no less than full membership of the Union.

Pro-EU candidate Mehmet Ali Talat has been elected president of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot community. He has vowed to reunite the island.

Following strong criticism from civil groups, the Turkish government has postponed the introduction of the country's new Penal Code until the summer.

The cases of Croatia and Turkey are "not linked", and Ankara's accession talks will commence as scheduled, a leading Commission official said.

Turkey has reiterated its intention to sign a customs protocol which the EU has set as a condition for opening accession talks with Ankara. However, timing appears to make all the difference.

The UN and EU should strongly encourage Greek and Turkish Cypriots to make "one more major effort" to reunify Cyprus in 2008, argues a new report from the International Crisis Group (ICG).