Marc Pierini, the European Commission's ambassador to Türkiye, told an EU Information Network Offices meeting in Gaziantep that political statements by individual politicians can seriously damage months of accumulated negotiation work.
Pierini acknowledged that negative perceptions had emerged following developments in December, but said technical and legal progress over the preceding two months had outpaced the gains of the previous 15 months combined.
He noted that politically charged remarks from EU officials were often tied to domestic election cycles rather than reflecting official EU policy toward Türkiye's membership bid.
On funding, Pierini said annual accession grants to Türkiye had reached 500 million euros, while European Investment Bank loans surpassed 2 billion euros. Those resources support a range of programs covering institutional reform, small and medium-sized enterprises, education, social development, and human rights.
Pierini stressed that the accession process is broader than a government-to-government negotiation, describing its ultimate aim as building mutual understanding between Turkish society and the people of the EU.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in February 2007, in its own words.