European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has called for a “serious debate” about Turkey’s membership bid to the EU.
He said the prospect of Turkey joining the union was partly responsible for voters in France and the Netherlands rejecting the EU constitution.
But he said members should respect their commitment to starting entry talks with Ankara on 3 October.
He stressed there was no guarantee that negotiations would lead to membership.
‘Voters’ message’
“We should discuss seriously the signal that was sent by the electorate regarding Turkey,” Mr Barroso told reporters in Brussels.
“About Turkey, the decision of the council is clear and we shall start negotiations with Turkey on 3 October but it is an open-ended process.”
It was Mr Barroso’s first news conference since last week’s EU summit in Luxembourg collapsed in acrimony, with no agreement on funding and doubts over the future of the constitution.
Objection to Turkish membership was a key issue among some opponents of the EU constitution in France, where 55% voted “No” in last month’s referendum.
In the Netherlands, where 61.6% of voters rejected the EU treaty a few days later, anti-constitution MPs campaigned against the planned membership talks with Turkey.
Mr Barroso also told the European Parliament that EU leaders needed to look at the priorities and structure of the disputed long-term budget.
His comments will be interpreted as support for Britain’s view that there should be a fundamental review, says BBC European affairs analyst William Horsley.
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