On the occasion of the first anniversary of his taking the chief EU negotiator post, Egemen Bagis said quote, "We will continue to take steps that we need to raise the standards of our nation and to secure that they live in a more modern, civilized and transparent country."

Bagis emphasized that Turkey would launch more communication projects in a bid to overcome both domestic and foreign prejudices against the country´s accession to the Union.

He said,"We need to stop anti-EU people from poisoning the public opinion with false information and also we need to free European minds of their anti-Turkey biases. Turkey is now a European country more than it ever was."

Bagis criticized opposition parties in Turkey for being "unfit to a country that reaches for higher European standards and becomes a more democratic regime."