BRUSSELS, Oct 4 (AFP) - The European Commission will recommend this week that the EU should start entry talks with Turkey but will stress the need for a mechanism to monitor reforms, the EU`s industry commissioner said Monday.
"It will not be an easy decision," said Olli Rehn of Finland, who is set to succeed Guenter Verheugen as EU enlargement chief when a new Commission takes office on November 1.
"I am also well aware that it is a decision which for the moment divides European opinion," he said, according to a French-language interpretation of his comments to a European Parliament confirmation hearing for his new post.
"In my view we have to hold out the prospect (of EU membership) to Turkey to strengthen the implementation of judicial, political and economic reforms which are already under way or foreseen," he said.