Summon the blood, for we shall have to sort it out. Turkish leaders find EU reforms hard to swallow. Ankara has far to go before membership talks can start More than six months after it became a formal candidate for joining the European Union, Turkey has made little progress towards the wide-ranging reforms needed before membership negotiations can begin. European diplomats in Ankara accept that the Turks face a huge task which cannot be completed overnight, but are disappointed that virtually nothing has been done so far. The Turks cannot pick and choose.
Turkey is by far the largest and most complex of the countries seeking membership.
On the positive side, an intense debate has begun on some of the most sensitive issues, such as human rights and freedom of expression. In the past few weeks the role of the military in society, a topic previously off-limits, has been openly discussed. The president, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, urged parliament last week to consider rapid reforms to democratise the constitution, which was created in the aftermath of a military coup 20 years ago. But for all the talk, precious little has been achieved. A lack of political leadership on Europe and a bureaucratic struggle about the scope of reforms have left Turkish politicians' predictions that the process could be completed quickly looking hollow.