Austrian Enlargement Commissioner: ‘Turkey is an important partner for us’

Johannes Hahn, the Austrian politician who was given the Enlargement portfolio under the new European Commission, stated during his European Parliament hearing on the 30 September 2014 that there would be no "twiddling of thumbs", in a reaction to European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker's statement that there would be no enlargement during his first mandate.

Mr Hahn also stated that the European Union should maintain sanctions to Russia and that Moscow had no right to veto its neighbours’ decisions.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: European Commission 2014 - 2019 - Parliamentary Hearings, September - October 2014 http://www.europeansources.info/record/european-commission-2014-2019-parliamentary-hearings-september-october-2014-this-time-its-different-parliamentary-hearings-2014/

European Parliament: Briefing: Johannes Hahn http://www.europarl.europa.eu/EPRS/Commissioner_hearings/EPRS-Briefing-538929-ENP-and-enlargement-FINAL.pdf

European Parliament: Foreign affairs committee: Hearing: Johannes Hahn http://www.elections2014.eu/en/new-commission/portfolios-and-candidates/20140910CAD60726/Johannes-Hahn

EUObserver, 30.09.14: New Austrian commissioner backs EU sanctions on Russia http://euobserver.com/foreign/125825

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