EU lifts Turkey’s hopes

Turkey has still not been given a date for membership talks.
Turkish troop movements in northern Iraq, along with Ankara’s decision to outlaw the main Kurdish political party, and Ankara’s perceived opposition to the reunification of Cyprus, have all played badly with the commission.
Nevertheless, it recommended doubling EU aid to €1.05bn (£714m) for the 2004-2006 period, reaching €500m a year in 2006.
"I don’t think Turkey has given us grounds to put the pre-accession process on ice," said Günter Verheugen, the EU enlargement commissioner. "A decision to stop this process would have sent the wrong signal to Turkey."