In particular its continued treatment of the Kurds, and its 'massacre' of the Armenians in 1915. In a recent decision by the European Parliament, Turkey was ordered to "come clean" and admit it's responsibility for perpetrating the 20th Century's first genocide. Whereby 1.5 million Armenians were butchered as part of the "ethnic cleansing" orchestrated by the Turkish Government. Not to mention the treatment of its own people up to this day. .
''The human rights situation in Turkey has deteriorated throughout the 1990s. Torture is widespread and systematic. Most disturbing is the increase in reports of torture of children in 1995 and 1996. Extrajudicial executions, disappearances and arbitrary detention continue with ever stronger evidence of state involvement and collusion at the highest official levels.'' [Amnesty International, Amnesty International Website, March 5th 1997].
Turkeys continued disputes with Cyprus would put the whole E.U. ideoligy in to question. Cyprus is due to join the E.U. in May 2004. One of the main aims of setting up the E.U. was to contain states like Germany in Post War Europe from ever waging war on another European country. Therefore the pact made between these member states, that they shall not attack eachother could come into contest. Turkey has been involved in a land dispute with Cyprus, they have had a 29 year occupancy of a third of Cyprus and because of this tensions between the two countries have risen. This is something Turkey is trying to resolve, however the time in which they have to do it in may be limited. .
''The European commission and member states ignored intensive last-minute lobbying by Ankara and said bluntly that Turkish membership could face 'a serious obstacle' if Cyprus was not reunited before May'' [Ian Black, The Guardian Nov. 6 2003].
Turkey is in a considerable amount of debt to the IMF, it is now one of the eight most indebted countries in the world.