Germany, Turkey summon envoys in row over protests, EU Berlin responded on Friday by summoning the Turkish envoy to the German foreign ministry - and Turkey retaliated. Barring a last-minute change of heart by Germany, the EU looks set early next week to postpone or cancel plans to open a new "chapter" in Turkey's membership talks next Wednesday. Such a move would cast doubt on the future of Turkey's long-running negotiations to join the EU and a senior Turkish official has said it would draw a "strong reaction" from Ankara. They argue that Turkey's fast-growing economy, youthful population and diplomatic clout would bolster the EU. Merkel's conservatives oppose Turkish EU membership in their platform for September's election, saying it would "overburden" the bloc because of the country's size and economy, though Merkel has stopped short of calling a halt to accession talks. We are not talking about 'whether', just about 'how', to continue the accession process," German deputy government spokesman Georg Streiter said. Foreign Ministry spokesman Andreas Peschke said the Turkish minister's comments were "unacceptable" and Ankara's envoy to Berlin had been summoned for consultations in the afternoon. As the tension between Berlin and Ankara increased, Italian Foreign Minister Emma Bonino said it was not the moment to close the door on Turkey, but she made no direct reference to Germany. "From this perspective, we must bring dynamism to the negotiating process and avoid giving into a knee-jerk reaction that hardens positions with regard to the line adopted by Turkish authorities," she said in a statement. If we make the mistake of complicating Ankara's road towards Europe, tomorrow we will have a Europe that is less credible on the international scene. Germany's Peschke said Turkish accession talks had been held up for unspecified "technical reasons" rather than concerns about the crackdown, adding that the Dutch shared the German view. Additional reporting by Stephen Brown in Berlin, Gulsen Solaker in Ankara and James Mackenzie in Rome; Editing by Stephen Brown and Andrew Roche