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Article: Turkey is left out in the cold: despite sweeping national reform, EU accession remains a fair way off. (Western Europe: Turkey).(Turkey wants to join European Union to obtain foreign investment, financial assistance, and help employ more people)
- Article from:
- The Banker
- Article date:
- January 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 FT Business. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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As European Union leaders agreed in Copenhagen on December 13 for the 10 candidate countries of eastern and southern Europe to join what would be the world's biggest trade bloc, the EU heads of government also agreed on a start date of December 2004 for negotiations on Turkey's long-awaited accession.
Turkey's parliament carried out the sweeping changes to its constitution that the government believes will help lead to membership as soon as possible. But, while Bulgaria and Romania plan to join the EU in 2007, no specific date has been set for Turkey's entry.
The 550-member national legislature moved to increase individual freedoms and civil rights and ...