Hollande declines to open new EU chapter in Turkey / Germany’s Steinmeier urges EU to resume talks on Turkey’s membership bid

French President Francois Hollande opted not to unblock any more chapters in EU accession talks during a visit to Turkey in January 2014.

This decision might be connected, according to EUObserver, to the recent crackdown on police and judges who tried to investigate high-level corruption. The Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, also gave himself control over judicial appointments in violation of EU norms on judicial independence.

Cyprus has been vetoing the opening of chapters related to law and order.

On the 3 February 2014, Germany's foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged the EU to advance stalled talks on Turkish membership. He suggested that talks could improve legal and human rights standards amid the government's corruption woes.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was scheduled to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on the next day. He urged Ms. Merkel to throw her country’s full weight behind his country's bid to join the EU, but there was no sign the host had been swayed from her sceptical stance on Turkish membership.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: EU-Turkey: ready to sign readmission agreement http://www.europeansources.info/record/memo-eu-turkey-ready-to-sign-readmission-agreement/

ESO: Background information: Statement by President Barroso following the meeting with Prime Minister Erdoğan of Turkey / Turkish premier Erdogan resists EU call to rethink legal reforms http://www.europeansources.info/record/speech-statement-by-president-barroso-following-the-meeting-with-prime-minister-erdogan-of-turkey-turkish-premier-erdogan-resists-eu-call-to-rethink-legal-reforms/

Deutsche Welle, 27.01.14: Hollande visits Turkey, revives EU ambitions, escapes personal worries http://dw.de/p/1Ay7i

Euronews, 27.01.14: Hollande visit aims to repair rocky relations with Turkey http://www.euronews.com/2014/01/27/hollande-visit-aims-to-repair-rocky-relations-with-turkey/

Deutsche Welle, 03.02.14: Germany's Steinmeier urges EU to resume talks on Turkey's membership bid http://dw.de/p/1B1yl

Deutsche Welle, 04.02.14: Turkish PM Erdogan to meet with German Chancellor in Berlin for bilateral talks http://dw.de/p/1B2Hz

EurActiv, 05.02.14: Erdoğan fails to sway Germany on Turkey’s EU bid http://www.euractiv.com/enlargement/erdogan-fails-sway-germany-stanc-news-533278

Deutsche Welle, 04.02.14: Turkish PM Erdogan and German Chancellor Merkel hold 'intensive' talks in Berlin http://dw.de/p/1B2Xc

Euronews, 04.02.14: Erdogan urges Germany to back Turkey EU bid http://www.euronews.com/2014/02/04/erdogan-urges-germany-to-back-turkey-eu-bid/

Deutsche Welle [Opinion], 04.02.14: Doubts warranted on Turkey's EU bid http://dw.de/p/1B2nA

Deutsche Welle, 05.02.14: Turkish PM Erdogan campaigns at Berlin's Tempodrom http://dw.de/p/1B2qf

Euronews, 05.02.14: Germany: Erdogan seeks support among Turkish diaspora http://www.euronews.com/2014/02/05/germany-erdogan-seeks-support-among-turkish-diaspora/

Euro|Topics, 05.02.14: Erdoğan visits Berlin http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/aeltere/NEWSLETTER-2014-02-05-Erdo-an-visits-Berlin

Deutsche Welle, 10.02.14: Turkey-EU: 'Lapse in interest on both sides' http://dw.de/p/1B6Ls

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