31st January 2011: Andrew Brons has received an answer to his Question requiring a Written Answer from the Commission on Turkish membership of the European Union.
The MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber asked:
1. Assuming Turkey meets the various criteria for joining the EU, to what extent has the Commission assessed the annual costs of Turkish membership, which will be borne by the Member States?
2. On the same assumption, to what extent approximately in value terms (EUR per annum) will Turkey be a net beneficiary of EU funds?
3. Were Turkey a Member State today, how much funding would it receive from the EU in gross and net amounts (EUR per annum)?
4. Does it remain the Commission’s long-term desire that Turkey, assuming it joins the EU, should also become a member of the eurozone?
Replying on behalf of the Commission, Stefan Fule, the European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, said:
"It is not possible to give a realistic estimate of future expenditure and revenues associated with possible Turkish EU membership, as long as a number of factors remain unclear, such as developments in various key sectoral EU policies, macro-economic developments in both the EU and in Turkey, and a possible date of accession.
"As regards Turkey's eventual membership in the Eurozone: according to the Treaty all Member States of the EU are obliged to adopt the euro as their sole currency when they meet the relevant economic criteria. However, at this early stage, neither the EU nor Turkey have a formal position on this matter, as the relevant negotiating chapter on economic and monetary policy has not yet been opened."