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<p>The Government supports the process of Turkey’s EU accession, which remains the
most effective means of encouraging reform, stability and democracy in Turkey. But
as the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has made
it clear that the question of Turkey actually joining the EU is ‘not remotely on the
cards’, indeed that he does not believe it will happen ‘for decades’. Every Member
State has a veto, at every stage of the process.</p><p>Turkey would need to undergo
substantial reform before we could consider Turkish accession to the EU, particularly
in terms of rule of law, freedom of speech, and socio-economic convergence with EU
standards. Furthermore, the Government will not agree to any further EU enlargement
without new arrangements for transitional controls on freedom of movement. We do not
want to take the risk, as we did in 2004, of very large movements of people after
a new accession. Under the European Union Act 2011, any new Accession Treaty would
require parliamentary approval by primary legislation before it could be ratified.</p>
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