Turkey/EU: playing hardball on visa liberalisation

The European Commission initiated the legislative process which was to culminate in a decision to abolish visas for citizens of Turkey in May 2016. The proposal, submitted on 4 May 2016 to the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament, was a further step in the implementation of the EU-Turkey plan to deal with the migration crisis.

The EC’s decision was an expression of the EU’s determination to implement the agreement, despite Turkey’s failure to meet all the conditions. Among the five requirements it has not yet met, the most important was the change in Turkey’s law on combating terrorism, which in practice is used to suppress the opposition in Turkey. Now Ankara has announced that it will not comply with this condition, which calls into question both the abolition of visas and the implementation of the joint plan for the migration crisis.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: European Commission opens way for decision by June on visa-free travel for citizens of Turkey http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-european-commission-opens-way-for-decision-by-june-on-visa-free-travel-for-citizens-of-turkey/

ESO: Information Guide: European Migration Challenges http://www.europeansources.info/record/information-guide-european-migration-challenges/

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