A promising start

摘要

If it were a member today, Turkey would be the poorest country in the Eu-but not by a mile. Although its GDP per person is less than a third of the average for the 15 members before last year's round of enlargement, it is not far off that of Latvia, one of the ten new countries that joined in May 2004. And it is much the same as those of Bulgaria and Romania, which hope to become members in 2007. When they do, there will be an overland route from the Channel Tunnel to the Turkish border that never leaves EU soil. Later this year Turkey's state statistical department will come up with revised figures for the country's GDP, based on the EU'S statistical methodology. The economy minister, Mr Babacan, says that GDP figures could go up as a result. But even if they do, the size of the Turkish economy will remain considerably understated because of the huge black economy. Mr Babacan puts the size of this "informal" economic activity at over 30% of official GDP. One survey found that more than half of the people who claimed to be employed were not registered, meaning that they did not pay taxes or receive state benefits.