EU enlargement commissioner-designate vows to keep Turkish talks going

European Commissioner-designate for EU Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule promised on Tuesday (January 12th) that the bloc will continue talks on Turkey’s accession despite opposition from some members, including France and Germany.

“I intend to go ahead with accession negotiations with Turkey. They are the best leverage we have to help Turkey modernise,” Fule said during his confirmation hearing at the European Parliament in Brussels. Despite reservations over human right issues in Turkey, the country has made “a lot of progress”, Fule stressed, adding that “many taboos from the past … are now debated openly in society.”