Last month's referendums in France and the Netherlands are widely assumed by many European Union leaders to have been a protest against enlargement, a cri de coeur against loss of control, identity and possibly even livelihood as Europe's borders expanded yet again. This thesis, of course, conveniently deflects any blame from the aforesaid leaders, who have been wilfully negligent in selling the visible successes of enlargement at a time when Europe risks sinking into a diffuse and morbid fear of globalisation.

After the traumas of the past month, it is therefore welcome that the European Commission yesterday set out a fair framework for accession negotiations with Turkey, due to start in principle on October 3. It will probably only be just before then that the EU Council of Ministers makes up its mind whether to endorse this mandate. While that is not a foregone conclusion, it is important that it does.