The European Union needs all the help it can get in engaging with Turkey. With Ankara’s bid for EU membership running into political disenchantment both in Turkey and in the Union, it may fall to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to give the wheel of progress a modest push forward.

With strong EU backing, the EBRD agreed last week to start examining plans to extend its operations to Turkey. A final decision will not come before October, but the signs are that it will be positive.