Starting to shine, but how brightly? Standstill provisions in association law between Turkey and the Community

Abstract:
Today, it is known that the association law between Turkey and the Community grants rights to Turkish citizens which are legally enforceable before the national authorities and courts of the Member States, thanks to the decisions of the Court of Justice. Recent years have witnessed a number of cases before the Court regarding the standstill provisions in association law relating to workers on the one hand and freedom of establishment and to provide services on the other. One striking example is the Soysal case, which paved the way for certain Turkish nationals to travel to Germany without a visa. Therefore, there is a strong need to explore the exact boundaries of the abovementioned standstill clauses. This paper examines the nature, scope and effects of these standstill provisions.