[ewald steiner]

Sad news for European Europe. I expected a more poised stand by Austria, after all they knew they would become under pressure. Can someone tell us about the kind of pressure exerted ? Financial pressure, threats, ?

I never expected the craven attitude of the Greek and Cypriot governments. They merrily went along disregarding 4 centuries of history and the sentiments of their own people, well there you have real democracy in action.

There are those that say nothing really has happened, and that Turkey will not become a member after all. Then my question is why the dishonesty, the perfidy and the charade ?

They keep bringing historical reason as barriers to Turkey's eventual acceptance as a member. Armenian genocide recognition, human rights, human values, policies align with EU spirit etc, etc. However with Turkey holding a mass of 80 m turks ,they can easyly dance around these historical issues. Being the majority component of the EU comprising countries the Turks will not sit back and take orders but will deploy and spread their influence to dominate the springs of government and power.
Compare the bellicose and belligerent posture of Erdogan and Gul vis a vis their pusilanimous European counterparts and you can get the picture.

The mere fact that accession talks are starting is a demonstration of Turkish power. The uninvited guest, restless in the waiting room, uttered threats and made menacing gestures, plus lecturing didactically to the EU bureacracies about the impending dangers of exclusion.

The EU is on the road to dissolution or at best to remain in a condition of political impotence. There are too many fissiparous forces at work, they can not even control the untramelled invasion of their individual countries, which is the easiest thing to do provided there is political will, how can one expect them too be capable of managing geopolitics ?
Sad day for Europe, the Europe, as we knew it.