Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan cautioned in September 2004 that relations between Türkiye and the European Union would be damaged if EU leaders declined in December to open formal membership negotiations with Ankara.
Speaking at a conference on Türkiye's EU bid, Erdoğan said bilateral ties could not simply continue unchanged after a rejection, though he stopped short of specifying what steps Ankara might take.
Türkiye has held official EU candidate status since 1999 yet remains the only candidate country that has not begun accession talks. EU leaders were set to base their December decision on a European Commission report due in October assessing Türkiye's democratic and human rights reforms.
Several commissioners were reported to have reservations about Türkiye's application. EU Farm Commissioner Franz Fischler raised concerns about the country's long-term democratic credentials and estimated membership could cost the bloc roughly 11.3 billion euros annually in agricultural subsidies, suggesting a "special partnership" arrangement as an alternative.
Erdoğan rejected the idea that Türkiye would strain EU finances, saying the country had met the required political criteria and would press ahead with reforms. Even if talks began, both EU and Turkish officials acknowledged that full membership remained at least a decade away.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in September 2004, in its own words.