EU enlargement to continue despite No votes

The enlargement of the European Union will continue despite voters' rejection of the EU constitution in France and The Netherlands…

The enlargement of the European Union will continue despite voters' rejection of the EU constitution in France and The Netherlands, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said today.

"We are certainly aware of the 'enlargement blues' among Europe's public, which played a role in the referenda," Mr Rehn told reporters in Brussels.

"We (will) continue enlargement policy by underlining the need to stick to the criteria of accession to the last letter and better communicating to our citizens the overall balance sheet of enlargement," he added.

The double No vote against the proposed EU treaty raised doubt about whether the EU will go ahead with planned membership talks with candidates Turkey and Croatia.

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