TURKEY (Zaman)–With only weeks left before the declaration of the European Union (EU) Commission’s progress report on Turkey–The Eastern Europe Institute said that if admitted–Turkey would cost Brussels about 14 billion Euros annually–equal to the cost of admitting 10 countries in 2004.
Based on the Institute’s research–a great amount of funds would go to Turkey’s agricultural sector–which produces a great amount of olives and wine–thus would receive the majority of EU subsidies.
The Eastern Europe Institute–a leading German research institute–is expected to officially release the results of its Turkey study by the end of the year.
In a statement to the German press about Turkey’s possible accession–EU Enlargement Commissioner Gnther Verheugen said the matter remains to what degree the EU’s structure would change if Turkey entered the Union.