Turkey’s entry bid scores mixed points in EU debate

* EU deeply divided over Turkey’s membership prospects

* Croatia nears completion of EU accession preparations

* EU enlargement running out of steam

By Justyna Pawlak

BRUSSELS, Dec 14 (Reuters) – European Union governments sent a mixed message of praise and criticism towards Turkey and its EU accession effort on Tuesday, underlining persistent divisions in the bloc over Ankara’s membership prospects.

During an annual debate on enlargement held by EU states in Brussels, the bloc expressed “deep regret” about Turkey’s failure to patch up relations with EU member Cyprus and pressed Ankara to show improvement “without further delay”.

EU ministers welcomed, at the same time, Turkey’s recent constitutional reforms as an “important” step towards improving human rights and Ankara’s support to EU bodies tackling migration.

“Negotiations (with Turkey) have reached a more demanding stage,” ministers of foreign and European affairs said in a statement after the meeting.

Addressing hopefuls in the western Balkans, EU ministers gave assurances to Croatia that the end of its entry talks was “within reach”, adding to hopes the former Yugoslav republic could join in the next two to four years. But they made it clear other aspiring countries face steep challenges.

Britain, Finland, Sweden and Italy had pushed the EU last week to give stronger backing to Turkey’s entry efforts and accelerate growth of the bloc, troubled by concerns among many EU states over the cost at a time of Europe’s economic woes.

But the push ran into long-standing opposition from Cyprus, with Nicosia pressing on Tuesday for a more critical stance to reflect a dispute over the northern part of the divided Mediterranean island which only Ankara recognises as a state.

France and Germany are also hesitant about Turkish entry.

TROUBLED PROCESS

EU governments face a dilemma in how to balance reluctance among the bloc’s voters towards further enlargement — on the rise since it admitted 12 countries in the last decade — with concerns over keeping accession hopefuls engaged in the process.

via Turkey’s entry bid scores mixed points in EU debate | Reuters.