Turkey would dearly love to join the EU. But the EU wants them to improve their human rights, come to an agreement about Cyprus, admit to the Armenian genocide, stabilise their economy, etc. So the EU says Turkey can't join until it sorts itself out. It will take a bloody long time, but the idea is that eventually Turkey will have attained the required standards with regard to human rights and other matters, and then they'll be admitted. What better way to encourage countries to improve themselves?