EC President Jose Manuel Barroso backs Turkey’s EU accession

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has dismissed claims that Turkey would be a burden for the European Union at a time when the 27-nation bloc’s membership talks with the candidate country are in standstill.

Barroso said, in contrast, Turkey would bring in a significant added value to the bloc during his speech at the European Business Summit on Wednesday, adding that the European Commission extended full support to Turkey’s membership to the EU.