IKV’s Trustee Organisations: 19 65 ISSUE: 41 JUNE-JULY 2018 www.ikv.org.tr / contact:
[email protected] THE AUSTRIAN EU PRESIDENCY AND PROSPECTS FOR TURKEY-EU RELATIONS As Austria has assumed the rotating six-month presidency of the EU on July 208, Turkey expects to have “minimum dialogue” with the new term president. Çisel İLERİ, its goals and priorities for the next six IKV Research Director months, it is very striking that Turkey as an EU accession country was not ustria took over the rotating even mentioned once. As many of Apresidency of the Council of the the readers may recall prior to the EU in a symbolic handover ceremony Turkey-EU Summit on 26 March, which in Schladming with the attendance of brought President Erdoğan and the European Council President Donald heads of EU institutions together, the Tusk, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has Borissov and Austrian Chancellor claimed that Turkey no longer fulfils Sebastian Kurz. Austria, which has the Copenhagen political criteria and assumed the EU presidency for the therefore EU accession negotiations third time after 998 and 2006, has with Turkey shall be suspended. chosen the motto “A Europe that Lately, the Austrian Foreign Minister protects”. Karin Kneissl made the position of The Austrian Presidency in the her country vis-à-vis Turkey very clear second half of 208 has to work on by stating that they do not perceive prevailing complex dossiers, namely Turkey as an EU candidate country. negotiations regarding Brexit and In the face of this attitude, Turkish regarding the Multi-Annual Financial Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu Framework for the period 202- took a realistic approach and said that 2027.