EU and Turkey start talks.

(From Budapest Business Journal)

Byline: Judit Zegnal

Despite all the risks involved in Turkey's upcoming EU accession, the move is economically rational, executives and analysts said last week. They were reacting to a decision by EU heads of states made on Dec. 17 to start accession talks with Turkey next year, on condition that the country recognizes the Republic of Cyprus. Turkey expressed its disapproval of this condition, but analysts say a compromise on this issue is just a matter of time. "Given current economic indicators, the integration of Turkey into the EU is a sound decision. The economic growth Turkey has seen over the past few years would fuel growth in the EU and improve the bloc's competitiveness," said Attila Juhasz, an analyst at political and economic think tank Political Capital. "Hungary is an export-oriented country, so it is in our interest to integrate the vast Turkish market into the EU." However, analysts also pointed at some …