Referendum fever has spread with Turkey saying it could be the next country to hold one on whether it should continue to press for EU membership.
It was the first indication from President Erdogan that Turkey could back out of its stalled bid for membership.
As recently as last October he said that joining the EU was Turkey’s “most important international priority”.
But in a speech on Wednesday, Mr Erdogan angrily accused the EU of Islamophobia, saying: “Hey EU! You are just not going to agree to accept us because the big majority of our people are Muslims.”
Turkey applied for membership in 1987 and formal negotiations began in 2005. Despite the passage of a decade, only 15 of the detailed 35 accession chapters required for membership have been opened.
The slow process has disenchanted many. A 2015 poll by the Pew Research Centre found 55% of Turks supported joining the EU, indicating that a referendum could have a close outcome.
Others feel that on some items of human rights Turkey is moving away from its membership objective. Its anti-terror legislation has been used increasingly to clamp down on dissent. The Turkish regime says it can not soften the legislation while it remains under threat from Kurdish militants and Isis.
Despite a controversial migrant agreement which might yet give Turks visa-free travel to Schengen countries, Turkey’s membership prospects do not look bright.
European leaders have warned that the country is rapidly sliding towards authoritarianism as Mr Erdogan plans to change the constitution and hold a referendum to establish a presidential system that would grant him greater powers.
