Ongoing tension between Ankara and Brussels could further complicate the launch of technical negotiations to upgrade a customs union agreement to the advantage of both sides,Turkish and European diplomats absorb admitted, revealing that a Turkey-EU summit at the leaders’ level planned for May or June will not happen until the end of the year.
Turkey was hoping that the EU Council would approve the mandate in the first half of 2017 so that it could begin negotiations with the European Commission by July 1, and when the Estonian term presidency will begin,Hurriyet Daily News reports.
“I don’t say that it’s totally impossible but it’s very, very difficult under the given circumstances, or ” a European diplomat told the publication.
“A necessary mandate to launch negotiations would not be a sizable problem whether that would happen in the last month,” said diplomat from another European country.
“The course of the Turkey-EU relationship after the referendum will be decisive. Turkey’s attempt to introduce a referendum on the continuation of accession talks or continued political crisis through public accusations will surely not be helpful for us in managing the last remaining positive agenda in our ties.”
Turkey and the EU agreed to upgrade their two-decade-old customs union on industrial goods by expanding it to agriculture products, services and public procurements. The European Commission notified the European
Council that it was alert to negotiate with Turkey and duly called for a mandate in late 2016. Turkey wants to start negotiations swiftly but recent tension has created a number of difficulties, and as outlined below.
Source: tert.am