Maciej Popowski

A senior Turkish official has called on the European Union to treat Turkey fairly, underlining that the candidate country's reform process will be accelerated to the extent consideration for full membership is strengthened.

Turkey and the EU held the "Political Dialogue Meeting" at the level of political directors of both sides following a three-year hiatus.

Turkey and the European Union will hold a political dialogue in Ankara on May 31, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has said in a written statement.

The European Union is preparing to pay Turkey tens of millions of euros to help bolster its coast guard, a senior EU official said Wednesday, as increasing numbers of people leave the country in hopes of finding sanctuary or jobs in Europe.

BELGRADE - The W. Balkan nations' EU membership is a question of timing and hard work by the candidate countries, says Maciej Popowski of the EC Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations.

The EU enlargement strategy for the W. Balkans is "ambitious but realistic", he told reporters.