Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (right) shakes hands with EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi after a joint press conference in Ankara, Türkiye, Sept 6, 2023. (PHOTO / DIA IMAGES VIA AP)

ANKARA - Officials from the European Union and Türkiye will restart talks next week on modernizing a customs union between the two sides, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday.

Türkiye has been an official candidate to join the EU for 24 years, but accession talks have stalled in recent years over the bloc's concerns about human rights violations and respect for the rule of law.

In July, President Tayyip Erdogan called for a re-opening of Ankara's accession talks and said full membership remained a key strategic objective for Türkiye.

We agreed to tackle the most important outstanding issues that we can tackle already now without the modernization of the customs union, so our colleagues will sit together and will start working immediately.

Oliver Varhelyi, EU enlargement commissioner 

Speaking at a news conference in Ankara following talks with EU enlargement commissioner Oliver Varhelyi, Fidan said he and Varhelyi had agreed to restart talks on the customs union, which aims to provide unhindered access for goods between the sides.

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"Delegations will start convening as of next week and the efforts will pick up pace," he said.

The EU-Türkiye customs union entered force in 1995 but is limited to industrial goods and processed agricultural products.

In an interview with Reuters, Varhelyi said his talks in Ankara had helped identify areas where the bloc and Türkiye could start working immediately, adding that full membership required steps from Türkiye on the rule of law and human rights.

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"We agreed to tackle the most important outstanding issues that we can tackle already now without the modernization of the customs union, so our colleagues will sit together and will start working immediately," Varhelyi said.

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Asked about whether there were prospects for Türkiye to be a part of the 2030 EU enlargement aim outlined by European Council President Charles Michel, Varhelyi said the priority was to "change the atmosphere", after disputes between Ankara and some member states, namely Greece and Cyprus, strained ties in recent years.

He said his visit had "confirmed that there is more than an openness" from Ankara on advancing the accession process, adding the EU had seen "a series of very positive messages" from Türkiye recently on the matter, but that a "positive agenda" must first be established.