Europe Minor

As we watch Austrian politicians promote a case for Turkey joining the EU as second-class citizens in much the same way as some two million Turks currently live in Germany, knowing that Turkey will refuse, the question of what Europe is for raises its head again.
The UK, currently holding EU presidency, has always been in favour of European expansion for two reasons. Firstly because it extends the common market and consequently improves the potential for economic growth and secondly, because expansion is viewed as a means of dilution; it is harder to implement closer political and legal integration when more countries are involved.
Austria conversely has a more nostalgic view of the situation than the Brits. Turkey's entry is not a hindrance to future progress in convergence of the European ideal, but an affront to history: since when did Turkey form part of Europe? It was after all, Asia Minor.
To which I respond, since when did Austria care about such historic details? Should we base today's political decisions on disputes between Greeks and Trojans that elicit a sense of Euro-Asian conflict? If they hadn't kidnapped Helen would we let the Turks into the EU? If the Austrians are so concerned about what constituted Europe historically, then how come the Baltic states and Scandinavians are involved? Were these part of any Roman Empire that defined Europe for a number of centuries? No, but Turkey was... Or are we looking to a later Christian idea of Europe, the Holy Roman Empire? Britain and Ireland weren't in that one either...
You have to question why any of the member states joined Europe. The most recent additions, Rumsfeld's New Europe, were far more keen on ties to the dollar than to the Euro. If the Turks don't join the EU, they may form an economic bloc to the north east instead of north west: Russia and its satellites await. So maybe Europe isn't that important after all, which would be naive of the Europeans given the geographical signifance of a country that borders Iraq and Russia.
The reason for not admitting Turkey to the European club is clearly based on religion. What message does that send to Muslims, or for that matter Jews who have dealt with central European prejudice for so long?
I'm not advocating expansionism for its own sake, but xenophobia can't be the basis for deciding Europe.