| Author (Corporate) | European Commission |
|---|---|
| Series Title | COM |
| Series Details | (2016) 140 final (4.3.16) |
| Publication Date | 04/03/2016 |
| Content Type | Policy-making, Report |
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The European Union launched the Visa Liberalisation Dialogue ("VLD") with Turkey on 16 December 2013, in parallel with the signature of the EU-Turkey Readmission Agreement. The VLD is based on the Roadmap towards a visa free regime with Turkey, a document setting out the requirements that Turkey needs to meet in order to enable the Commission to propose to the European Parliament and the Council an amendment to Regulation (EC) No 539/2001 which would allow Turkish citizens to travel for short stays (i.e. of 90 days within any 180-day period) in the Schengen area without a visa. The 72 requirements listed in the Roadmap are organised in five thematic groups ("blocks"): document security; migration management; public order and security; fundamental rights and readmission of irregular migrants. On 20 October 2014, the Commission adopted its first report on progress by Turkey in fulfilling the requirements of its visa liberalisation roadmap (the First Report). The First Report assessed the fulfilment of each requirement and issued recommendations for making further progress in all of them. After the publication of the First Report, high-level meetings of the VLD were held between the Commission and Turkish authorities on 26 February 2015, 14 December 2015 and 19 January 2016. In addition, two meetings of the Joint Readmission Committee took place on 15 July 2015 and 19 January 2016, to assess the implementation of the EU-Turkey Readmission Agreement. Discussions with Turkish authorities on how to foster Turkey's progress in implementing the Roadmap were also held on the occasion of the negotiation of the EU-Turkey Joint Action Plan, which was agreed ad referendum on 15 October 2015, and of the EU-Turkey Summit of 29 November 2015. At the Summit, the Turkish side expressed its commitment to accelerate the fulfilment of the Roadmap, including by anticipating the application of all the provisions of the EU-Turkey Readmission agreement, with the objective to possibly obtain visa liberalisation by October 2016. The commitment was welcomed by the European Union. This second report on progress by Turkey in fulfilling the requirements of its visa liberalisation roadmap (the Second Report) provides an analysis of the state of play of the implementation of the requirements of the Roadmap by Turkey as of February 2016, and lists specific recommendations on the measures that Turkey should take to make further progress towards the complete fulfilment of these requirements. The Second Report follows the structure of the Roadmap and therefore addresses, one by one, the five blocks indicating for each of them the requirements which are not yet entirely fulfilled, and recommending measures that would allow the Turkish authorities to reach this objective. The Second Report is accompanied by a Commission Staff Working Document (SWD), which describes in detail a considerable number of relevant measures which Turkey has taken and is implementing towards fulfilling the requirements of the Roadmap since October 2014. In addition, as required by VLD methodology, the SWD analyses the expected migratory impact of any future visa liberalisation. |
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| Source Link | http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2016:140:FIN |
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| Countries / Regions | Turkey |
