EU Council: Foreign Ministers agree on membership talks with Turkey

PRESS RELEASE: 2678th Council Meeting, General Affairs and External Relations, General Affairs Council Conclusions (Provisional), Luxembourg

Main Results of the Council
The Council approved a framework for negotiations with Turkey on its accession to the EU, as mandated by the European Council last December, thus enabling the negotiations to begin immediately after the meeting.

It also gave the go-ahead to accession negotiations with Croatia, on the basis of a positive assessment of Croatia's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, enabling the negotiations to begin immediately after the meeting.

CONTENTS: ITEMS DEBATED

ENLARGEMENT
- Turkey: negotiating framework and opening of discussions
- Croatia: opening of negotiations - Council conclusions

IN THE MARGINS OF THE COUNCIL
- Accession conference with Turkey
- Accession conference with Croatia
- Signature of EU - Canada agreement on the transfer of air passenger data

OTHER ITEMS APPROVED
EXTERNAL RELATIONS / COMMON FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY
- Serbia and Montenegro - Stabilisation and association process
- Colombia - Council conclusions
- EU annual report on human rights
- EU support for international peace and security - Council conclusions
- International treaty on the arms trade - Council conclusions
- Indonesia - EU monitoring mission in Aceh
- Relations with the Republic of Korea - EU enlargement
- Relations with Uzbekistan - EU enlargement

DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
- ACP countries - Financing of actions

TRADE POLICY
- Anti-dumping - China and USA - Trichloroisocyanuric acid

INSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
- Review of decisions by the Court of First Instance
- Court of Justice - Rules of procedure

TRANSPARENCY
- Public access to documen18

APPOINTMENTS
- Committee of the Regions

See the complete General Affairs Council Conclusions for detailed information.

| Arriba |

• Turkey - EU Accession Partnership (23/1/2006)
• Speech by EU Commissioner Rehn - Accession negotiations with Turkey: fulfilling the criteria (28/11/2005)
• EU enlargement package 2005 (9/11/2005)
• EU enlargement policy strategy: consolidation, conditionality, communication (9/11/2005)
• Key findings of 2005 Progress Reports on Croatia and Turkey (9/11/2005)
• Speech by EU Commissioner Rehn - EU and Turkey together on the same journey (7/10/2005)
• EU Parliament - Commissioner Rehn tells MEPs: Turkey negotiating framework is clear and balanced (5/10/2005)
• EU opens accession negotiations with Croatia (4/10/2005)
• EU Council Conclusions on Uzbekistan (3/10/2005)
• EU Council Conclusions on Colombia (3/10/2005)
• EU Council Conclusions on EU Support for International Peace and Security (3/10/2005)
• EU External Relations Council Conclusions (3/10/2005)
• EU Commission President Barroso on accession negotiations with Turkey (3/10/2005)
• EU Enlargement: Turkey - Declaration by European Community and Member States (21/9/2005)
• EU Parliament: Compliance with Hague tribunal is key to accession, says Croatia's FM  (31/8/2005)
• Signature of the protocol to the Ankara Agreement  (1/8/2005)
• Commission presents draft framework for accession with Turkey (29/6/2005)
• Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Croatia enters into force today (1/2/2005)