Turkey’s EU Accession Negotiations was started on 3 October 2015. Turkey’s Negotiation Framework Document which states the technicalities and methods of the negotiations was also adopted on the same day. Turkey’s EU accession process is conducted in 35 chapters in the context of Negotiation Framework. Chapter 34-Institutions and Chapter 35- Other Issues are addressed at the very last stage of the negotiations.
During the negotiation process, chapters are opened depending upon the candidate country’s fulfilment of opening benchmarks, which are determined by the EU Council, and once again chapters are provisionally closed depending upon the candidate country’s fulfilment of closing benchmarks, which are also determined by the EU Council. One single member country by declaring her negative opinion can block the opening or closing of the chapters.
Screening meetings were held which constitute the first stage of accession negotiations. The first screening meeting was held on 20 October 2005 on Chapter 25- Science and Research and the last one was held on 13 October 2006 on Chapter 23- Judiciary and Fundamental Rights.
On 12 June 2006 the Intergovernmental Conference for Turkey was held and Chapter 25- Science and Research was opened to negotiations and was provisionally closed on the same day. 15 Chapters have been opened to negotiations so far and one of these, as stated above Chapter 25, was provisionally closed. 14 chapters are blocked due to the political decisions of the EU Council and Southern Cyprus.
Chapter 26- Education and Culture is subject to a political blockage of Southern Cyprus although Turkey’s Negotiation Position Document for Chapter 26 has already been submitted to the EU and no opening benchmark is foreseen for this chapter.
On the other hand, the opening of negotiations on 8 chapters ( 1- Free Movement of Goods, 3- Right of establishment and Freedom to Provide Services, 9-Financial Services, 11- Agriculture and Rural Development, 13- Fisheries, 14- Transport Policy, 29-Customs Union and 30-External Relations) is blocked due to EU General Affairs and External relations Council of 11 December 2006 . The negotiations could not be provisionally closed for all chapters due to the same Decision.
Opened and Provisionally Closed:
25) Science and Research (Austria, 12.06.2006)
Opened:
20) Enterprise and Industrial Policy (Germany, 29.03.2007)
18) Statistics (Germany, 26.06.2007)
32) Financial Control (Germany, 26.06.2007)
21) Trans-European Networks (Portugal, 19.12.2007)
28) Consumer and Health Protection (Portugal, 19.12.2007)
6) Company Law (Slovenia, 17.06.2008)
7) Intellectual Property Law (Slovenia, 17.06.2008)
4) Free Movement of Capital (France, 19.12.2008)
10) Information Society and Media (France, 19.12.2008)
16) Taxation (Czech Republic, 30.06.2009)
27) Environment (Sweden, 21.12.2009)
12) Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Policy (Spain, 30.06.2010)
22) Regional Policy and Coordination of Structural Instruments (Lithuania,05.11.2013)
17) Economic and Monetary Policy (Luxembourg, 14.12.2015)
Chapter for which Turkey has submitted its Negotiation Position Paper to the EU:
26) Education and Culture
Draft Screening Reports are to be Approved at the Council of the European Union:
2) Freedom of Movement of Workers
23) Judiciary and Fundemental Rights
24) Justice, Freedom and Security
31) Foreign, Security and Defence Policy
33) Financial and Budgetary Provisions
Chapters unilaterally blocked by Southern Cyprus :
2) Free Movement of Workers
15) Energy
23) Judiciary and Fundamental Rights
24) Justice, Freedom and Security
26) Education and Culture
31) Foreign, Security and Defence Policy
Chapters suspended by the General Affairs and External Relations Council Decision of 11 December 2006 :
1) Free Movement of Goods
3) Right of Establishment and Freedom to Provide Services
9) Financial Services
11) Agriculture and Rural Development
13) Fisheries
14) Transport Policy
29) Customs Union
30) External Relations
Source: http://www.ab.gov.tr/index.php?p=65&l=2
For more information visit the following page of the Accession Policy Directorate of the Ministry of EU Affairs:
