Austria may hold referendum on Turkey's EU membership
26/08/2008
VIENNA, Austria -- The country's ruling coalition parties have decided to call for a referendum on Turkey's EU bid, should Ankara end its pre-accession talks successfully. In an interview with the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Saturday (August 23rd), Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plasnik said "Turkey's membership will bring a new dimension to the European integration and the EU." Recent polls in Austria have shown significant scepticism on EU membership for Turkey. The disapproval level is 80%. (Euractiv - 25/08/08; Hurriyet - 23/08/08)