Differences remain over enlargement, says Reinfeldt

Swedish prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt met with French president Nicolas Sarkozy in Stockholm on Friday to discuss the priorities of the Swedish EU presidency in the coming six months.

At a press conference following the meeting, the two displayed a united front, telling reporters that their positions on issues such as the environment were closely aligned.

The notable exception to this was their relative positions over enlargement, in particular the proposed accession of Turkey to the bloc. Sweden is in favour of progressing with Turkey's incorporation into the EU after it started formal negotiations for membership in 2005. However, Sarkozy remains opposed to Turkey's accession.

When questioned over his position, Sarkozy told reporters that he sees Turkey as a bridge between East and West and would not be against the opening of new chapters in the negotiations under the Swedish presidency, but said that the chapters should only allow for Turkey to be an associate member, not a fully fledged EU member.

He said that this has been his conviction for many years and he had not changed his position.

The two also set out their position over the nomination of José Manuel Barroso for another term as commission president. Following the unanimous endorsement of Barroso for re-election by European heads of state and government at their June summit, Reinfeldt had hoped for a speedy approval by the European parliament in order to ensure continued clear leadership and a well functioning Swedish presidency.

However, with question marks still surrounding the fate of the Lisbon treaty, Reinfeldt confirmed that parliament has ruled out the possibility of an early vote, insisting that there will be no decision made on Barroso in July.

He has been consulting with the groups over the course of the past week and will meet with group leaders in Stockholm next week to discuss the issue. As an elected body, Reinfeldt said the wishes of the parliament must be respected, but he hoped a decision would be made soon.

Reinfeldt also touched upon the current situation in Iran, saying that the behaviour of the Iranian authorities was unacceptable and there must be a unanimous response from the EU.

• Previous article
• Next article