Turkey will say "goodbye" to a possible entry into the European Union if the accession process is not relaunched with the opening of new negotiating chapters. The Turkish president, Erdogan, threatened him in a speech delivered in Ankara. The statements by the Turkish leader follow a phase of strong tensions in relations between Ankara and Brussels, which began with the failed coup d'etat in Turkey on July 15 and continued during the electoral campaign for the referendum on the reform of the constitution, during which Erdogan has in several occasions attacked the European chancelleries for preventing some Turkish ministers from holding electoral rallies to win the votes of expatriates. Turkey's accession process to the European Union has been in limbo for several years and at the moment, in light of recent tensions and the referendum that has increased Erdogan's powers, progress seems unlikely. Since the official start of the accession negotiations between Turkey and the EU in 2005, 16 out of 35 chapters have been opened. The last one, entitled 'Financial and budgetary provisions', was opened in June 2016. Despite the tensions, Turkey remains an important partner of the EU, particularly in the fight against terrorism and on the issue of migrants.
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