Road for Turkey as Important as Destination

EUROPA - Rapid - Press Releases

Today, the European Parliament is discussing the issue of starting accession negotiations with Turkey.

That negotiations will start on October 3rd now looks virtually certain. It's only Austria making some strange sounds, but they might in fact be playing for something else.

In Parliament, enlargement commissioner Olliu Rehn has been presenting his point of view.

And he makes the important point that the journey is as important as the destination.

In more concrete terms, this means that the continued reform process that will have to be driven forward in Turkey during the years of negotiation might be as important as achieving the goal of membership.

This is certainly true. One needs only to look at the example of the Central European and Baltic states to see the critical importance of the journey.

It's a journey of new European reforms and European transformation that starts for Turkey on October 3rd.

Good for us all.