Much is being made about the news that France is delaying the accession negotiations with Turkey in the economic and monetary chapter. In reality, this chapter is not one of the difficult ones unlike, for example, the complicated single market chapters. Once opened it won't take long to provisionally close it which means that this delay will be meaningless in the long term.

Despite Sarkozy's posturing, it is unlikely he will be around when the final decision about Turkey's EU accession is taken at least 10 years from now. Secondly, if countries start to go back from decisions that bind them such as the EU' s commitment made to Turkey, then that could be used as a premise by other countries (Poland, for example) to go back from what has already been agreed by the EU in relation to the new ReformTreaty.

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