Chief Negotiator for Turkish Accession to the European Union

Chief Negotiator for Turkish Accession to the European Union Turkish: Avrupa Birliği Başmüzakerecisi
Emblem of Ministry of European Union Affairs
Incumbent Ömer Çelik since May 24, 2016
Ministry of European Union Affairs and Chief Negotiator
Appointer	Ahmet Davutoğlu, as Prime Minister of Turkey
Term length	No term limit
Inaugural holder	Ali Babacan
Formation	January 17, 2005
Website	Ministry of European Union Affairs

This article is part of a series about the Ministry of European Union Affairs of Turkey
Institution Minister responsible Office Ministry List Chief Negotiator
Policies and related articles Accession negotiations

The Chief Negotiator for Turkish Accession to the European Union (Turkish: Avrupa Birliği Başmüzakerecisi) is the most senior official representing the Republic of Turkey during the country's accession negotiations to the European Union. The position was established on 17 January 2005 by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Following the establishment of the Ministry of European Union Affairs on 29 June 2011, the Minister of European Union Affairs is usually appointed concurrently to serve as the Chief Negotiator. The current Chief Negotiator is the EU Affairs Minister Ömer Çelik, in office since 24 May 2016.

With formal accession talks between Turkey and the European Union beginning in the years 2004 and 2005, the role of Chief Negotiator was established to represent the Turkish delegation during the membership negotiations. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appointed Ali Babacan as the first Chief Negotiator on 17 January 2005, while the then-Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül became the president of the Turkish delegation.

When the Ministry of European Union Affairs was established on 29 June 2011 before Erdoğan formed his third and final government, the Minister responsible for the new department began serving concurrently as the Chief Negotiator. The only event in which this was not the case occurred between 28 August and 22 September 2015, where Ali Haydar Konca was appointed as the Minister for European Union Affairs but was not, according to official records, appointed as the Chief Negotiator.