The European Commission gave a lukewarm reception Thursday to French demands to set up a group of "wise men" to debate the EU's future as a condition for not blocking membership talks with Turkey. Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told reporters that the call by French President Nicolas Sarkozy was "interesting" but that "it would be independent work, which would not replace the decisions of (EU) institutions. It doesn't mean that the institutions couldn't listen," he said. France has put the brakes on Turkey's membership talks but Sarkozy has said he would not block the discussions if a group of "wise men" was established by 2009 to debate the goals and ambitions of the EU over the next two decades. EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn was also cool on the demand last week, saying that the union already had a "long debate" on its future expansion last year.
Turkey began EU accession negotiations in October 2005 but it has only managed to open four of the 35 chapters, or policy areas, that all candidates must complete to join. Croatia, which began talks the same day, has opened 12.
| Croatia doesn't have a bunch of holy men running things. |
| Among other things. "What kind of things?" "Things." |