Panel
Mr. Alojz Peterle, The Chairman of the Panel, opened the event and welcomed all the guests. He then gave the floor to Mr. Taner Yildiz, Minister for Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey, to deliver the keynote speech.
Mr. Taner Yildiz emphasised on the importance of the EU accession process and EU-Turkey relations in general. He highlighted Turkey's noteworthy economic performance in the wake of the recent financial crisis despite troubles other countries have suffered during this period. He underlined that Turkey's prospective accession would be a significant asset for the EU and that the advantages of a possible membership outweigh the disadvantages. He noted the importance of having a young population and implied that Turkey's accession would bring a much-needed asset in this manner.
