There can be little doubt that European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn was correct to say that for countries in South Eastern Europe, the prospect of becoming eligible for negotiating membership of the EU has been a substantial motivation to reform.

Understandably, the lengthy and detailed reports released by the European Commission on the state of play of the enlargement process showed mixed levels of progress across and within the countries covered by the report – those in the Western Balkans, and Turkey.

It is also inarguable that the possibility of joining the EU has played a positive role in moves to resolve disputes such as the stand-off between Croatia and Slovenia on their mutual border, and may yet prove to be helpful in bilateral tangles such as the seemingly never-ending dispute between Athens and Skopje on the use of the name Macedonia, as well as – hopefully – contributing to progress in the several vexed issues between Turkey and Greece.

In all countries covered by the report, it is clear that the lure of Europe has played a constructive role, and yet it must also be acknowledged that, especially in states of the Western Balkans, there is the danger of what Rehn termed "backsliding".

Through the report, the EC was correct to call for harder work on a number of reforms, especially in countries that continue to fall short of EU expectations about standards of human rights. The EU has made it clear time and again that economic development and stability in a mainstream political system are not enough, and those rights and freedoms that the EU values must be seen to be honoured in practice. This is of reference to Turkey, for example, but by no means only that country.

It is as well that the tone of the EU’s texts on the various countries covered by the reports is a generally encouraging one.

The question of enlargement is also not one that involves solely the individual aspirant members getting up to standard. It is well known that many in Western Europe have misgivings, if not downright opposition, to a larger EU.

It is unlikely that the major players in the bloc would again allow admissions of new members even when it is clear that these are not quite up to scratch – as was the case in 2007 with Bulgaria and Romania.

But most of all, given the positive influence that it has on reforms, enlargement should continue as a tool of encouragement, for the sake of a future EU truly ready to act as one of the world’s most effective blocs.