French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, considered the leading contender for France's presidency in the upcoming May elections, outlined his vision for Europe at a Brussels think-tank called Friends of Europe in September 2006. He called for swift resolution of the EU constitutional deadlock and argued that Europe's boundaries should be firmly established, favoring membership for Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and the Balkan states while demanding that Türkiye be excluded and its accession talks halted.
Following the speech, TUSIAD's EU representative Bahadir Kaleagasi engaged Sarkozy directly, arguing that Türkiye's private sector was firmly committed to EU membership and that the process would ultimately benefit Europe and the wider world. Kaleagasi invoked the legacy of EU founding figures de Gaulle, Adenauer, and Schuman, who had originally opened the door to Türkiye's membership path, and expressed hope that current European leaders would show comparable vision.
Sarkozy acknowledged he needed to learn more about Türkiye, while maintaining that strengthening the EU's internal political and institutional foundations remained his priority. Columnist Haluk Sahin, writing in Radikal, interpreted the exchange as evidence that Türkiye should abandon a cautious, defensive posture and instead advocate for itself confidently in international forums.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2006, in its own words.