Just weeks into his leadership of the UK Government David Cameron has, on his visit to Turkey opened an issue that many of our European neighbours will find somewhat contentious – their entry as a full EU Member State!

Turkey's application for full EU membership was rejected at the time of their previous application because they did not fulfil all the criteria for admission. There was opposition to their entry from France, Germany and Austria, plus reservations by several other countries. They were told that the major barriers to their full entry were the economy, their issues in terms of human rights ( particularly related to the large Kurdish community), and their unwillingness to recognise the Greek part of Cyprus which is already a member state. Turkey were, however, granted preferential trading status.

Whilst the issues around the economy are on a way towards resolution there has been scant forward movement on the two other issues. In view of this why on earth is David Cameron supporting this application? I suppose the biggest motivator of all – MONEY through increased trade!
There is no doubt that David Cameron sees Turkey as a bridge between the EU and the Middle East, and the economic advantages of that are obvious. However, on the legitimacy of their claims to be part of Europe I am unsure that 3% of their land mass actually qualifies them. If this is the case then we'd better be prepared to take in Russia.

What amuses me is that David Cameron is not the hugest supporter of the EU. His stance, at least during the elections, was that the EU's powers and bureaucracy should not be extended, and the size should remain within manageable proportions. This would seem wise since the last expansion of the EU brought in countries which were very borderline in terms of their economies and this could be a serious strain on other established member states. Now he is suggesting the inclusion of a state that would rival other states in terms of population size, and therefore of influence in the general assembly. Given all the areas of non-compliance is this wise? Well, not in my opinion.

Mind you, I'm not sure whether I should worry about what David Cameron's wishes are at this point in time since rejection by one member state would derail the application all together. So, at the moment I am busy saying – Go France and Germany GO!