month rotating presidency in July. Blair will outline his strategy to the European Parliament Thursday in Brussels. Barroso also called for a "frank discussion" on Turkey, saying Europeans' concerns about Ankara's membership bid could not be ignored. Assessing the results of last week's failed efforts by E.U. leaders to set a new seven-year financial blueprint for the 25-nation bloc, Barroso said there were no "good or bad Europeans" in the E.U. But E.U. countries could also not be expected to follow one-size- fits-all economic policies, the Commission chief said. He said all governments must stop adopting a rigid stance on the budget and show a readiness to compromise. "Member states must not stick to their guns," he underlined. Failure to clinch a deal would have especially negative repercussions on new E.U. states who need to start preparing for projects to be financed by the bloc, he said. Barroso said leaders must "seriously discuss" European citizens' fears about E.U. plans to start membership talks with Turkey. "We need a frank discussion," he said, adding, however, that last year's commitment by E.U. leaders to open entry talks with Ankara must be respected. The talks would, however, be "open-ended", with no guarantees of Turkish membership at the end of the process, Barroso said. Barroso made his comments after the European Commission debated the disastrous results of last week's E.U. summit in Brussels. The meeting broke up in acrimony after the bloc's 25 leaders disagreed on a new budget for the bloc.
