Roundtable with
Ambassador Hansjörg Haber,
Head of the EU Delegation to Turkey
June 13, 2016

On June 13, 2016, Ambassador Hansjörg Haber, Head of the EU Delegation to Turkey, convened with GRF members at a roundtable on “the Emerging Complexities and Opportunities of EU – Turkish Relations”. During his speech, Ambassador Haber noted that the EU-Turkey relations are going through a time of great opportunities and risks that need to be addressed meticulously. He then moved to the issue of the refugee crisis, stressing that it is one of the common challenges that Turkey and the EU have to act upon together. Ambassador Haber argued that if the EU and Turkey manage to build on their common agenda in these turbulent times, the refugee crisis will serve as a catalyst for the strengthening of the relations. Finally, the Ambassador highlighted the importance of pursuing the efforts to harmonize Turkey’s legislation with the EU norms, regardless of the political constrains preventing the opening of new chapters. Following his presentation, Ambassador Haber received a variety of questions from the participants.