Wereldbank zet druk op Turkije om economie naar EU-standaarden te hervormen (en)

EU membership talks are helpful but not sufficient to boost Turkey's economic development, according to a new World Bank report, published on Monday (6 March).

According to the study's key recommendations, Ankara must increase employment - mainly among women - clamp down on the black economy and make sure children spend more time at school.

The World Bank indicated that the speed of Turkey's convergence to EU average living standards will depend on the pace of its structural reforms, adding "commitment to sound economic policies since 2001 has placed the Turkish economy in a good position to embark on a sustained path of faster growth."

The analysts urged Turkey to take advantage of the fact that EU membership negotiations, which started in October, are likely to boost its economic performance.

But labour market indicators remain a source of concern for the country's observers.

"Employment grew by less than 1 percent per year over the past decade, far less than what is needed to provide jobs to Turkey's rapidly growing labour force," stressed the report.

Women's participation in the workforce is of particular concern. It is currently at 24.3 percent while the EU average is 57 percent. In 2004, Turkey's employment was 46.1 percent.

Better employment is a crucial issue for Ankara to boost its chances of becoming a member of the EU bloc as some member states fear its accession would be followed by an influx of Turkish economic migrants to western Europe.

The black market and education have also been highlighted by the World Bank as the areas where Turkey needs to catch up.

The "informal" sector is estimated by some economists to account for up to 50 percent of Turkey's official GDP of €250bn, according to the Financial Times.

The point was made also by EU social policy commissioner Vladimir Spidla during a visit to Ankara on 5 March.

"As undeclared employment is not protected by labour law, Turkey's compliance with EU legislation will for the time being make no difference in this area."

"For this reason it is not enough simply to bring Turkish legislation into line with that of the EU. We must extend its scope by means of consistent action to suppress the informal economy," he said.