EU Leaders Welcome Historic Progress Report on Turkey

Blair added that Ankara’s accession talks should begin as soon as possible. Ankara is seeking a start in the first half of 2005, when Britain holds the rotating EU presidency. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said that the Union should give a date at its December summit to begin accession talks. Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Gerrit Zalm stated that the progress report had laid the groundwork for the December summit. French President Jacques Chirac said, however, that the EU’s expansion into Turkey would depend upon a referendum in his country.