In Greece for an official visit, Prodi spoke to the Greek television press, noting that the French-German project might actually be helpful to Turkey in allowing it time to make a choice. Prodi also said in Athens that shared EU feeling was that the "door should be left open" to Turkey in terms of a prospective EU membership, and that rules in place for other countries to enter the EU were also in place for Turkey.

EU Commission for Expansion, Olli Rehn, has already announced that he does not support German Chancellor Angela Merkel's proposal that Turkey's membership talks be reviewed after 18 months.