EU, Turkey to hold membership talks on June 30
Posted June 22, 2016 7:00 am
BRUSSELS (AP) - Officials from the European Union and Turkey will meet on June 30 to officially open a new area of Ankara's negotiations to join the EU.
EU diplomats confirmed on Thursday that lower-level officials would meet to open a series of talks on "financial and budgetary provisions" that Turkey must meet to become a member.
Countries hoping to join the EU must complete negotiations in 35 policy areas, or chapters. Turkey's accession talks started in 2005.
The EU promised Turkey faster membership talks as an incentive to stop migrants reaching Europe and to take back thousands more.
It has also offered visa-free travel for Turkish citizens and up to 6 billion euros ($6.8 billion) to help Syrian refugees sheltering in Turkey.
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked.
If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.