After taking negotiations to the brink, the European Union this week agreed -- as promised -- to open talks with Turkey on its membership in the union. The last-minute decision is typical of EU behavior these days, but Ankara's accession raises fundamental questions about the EU. This week's agreement prevents one crisis, but the questions persist. They demand answers and difficult choices for all Europeans.

Turkey and the EU have eyed each other -- often warily -- for more than 40 years; it became an associate member in 1963. Last December, EU members agreed to open talks with Ankara over membership on Oct. 3. Since then, the union has sustained a series of setbacks, such as the rejection of the EU constitution by founding members France and the Netherlands, and the failure to agree on a budget. In the runup to the commencement of negotiations with Turkey, Austria had become increasingly vocal in its opposition to Ankara's membership, arguing that the EU was not prepared and demanding progress on Croatia's bid to join the union as well.

After tense negotiations, both objections were overcome. Austria softened when its opposition isolated it among member states, and the final agreement adopted language that acknowledged that due attention had to be paid to the EU's "absorptive capacity." Croatia's ambitions were advanced when war crimes prosecutors informed EU negotiators that Zagreb had assisted their efforts to bring war criminals to justice.