Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Turkey, EU close to inking readmission of migrants, visa deal.

Serkan Demirtaş

Turkey and EU appear to be on verge of a breakthrough on visas that could see Turks traveling freely to the EU in return for the readmission of migrants


The hint was given by Stefan Füle, the EU’s commissioner for enlargement, through his Twitter account on July 9. While he was in Istanbul on his way to Tbilisi, he tweeted the following: “In Istanbul on my way to Georgia. Hope to be back here soon for launch of visa dialogue and sign of readmission agreement.”

Days before Füle’s statement, EU Minister Egemen Bağış also signaled that EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malström was expected to pay a visit to Turkey very soon to conclude nearly year-long talks that would begin a process for visa liberalization. In an interview aired on private broadcaster NTV July 6, he said: “Finalizing the visa dialogue is even more important than opening a negotiation chapter.”



If ongoing negotiations between the Turkish Foreign Ministry and the EU Commission can be concluded, Malström will come to Turkey to sign the Readmission Agreement and in return will launch visa dialogue with Turkey. “Malström will only come to sign the agreement,” European diplomats told the Hürriyet Daily News, underlining that the parties were close to finalizing talks.

However, arriving at this point took more than two years and tough negotiations between Ankara and Brussels – who in fact had agreed on the terms of the Readmission Agreement in early 2011. Turkey remained hesitant to sign the agreement, which would put an additional burden on its shoulders as it will have to accept repatriation of the thousands of people who illegally migrated into European countries crossing through Turkish territories. In the face of this complexity, Turkey insisted on a parallel process that would officially kick off visa exemption talks with a clear mandate.

Following months of negotiation, the parties came close to finding a formula to satisfy both parties’ needs. As Turkey will sign the agreement, visa dialogue will be launched but assurances will also be provided to the Turkish government that the process will result in gradually eliminating the visa requirement for citizens of Turkey.

For Turkish officials, visa liberalization talks will not be that complicated for Turkey as it long sought to improve its conditions in this direction, but they shied away from giving an exact date on when Turks would start to enjoy visa-free travel to the Schengen zone. The EU commission introduced a roadmap for a visa-free regime in November last year, outlining specific areas where the government should implement reforms, laws and directives.

Given the recent crisis between the two over the opening of the chapter on regional policies due to Germany’s opposition over Ankara’s undemocratic attitude toward the Gezi Park demonstrators, both Turkish and European officials admit that signing the agreement and launching visa dialogue would have a positive effect on relations.

But before its political consequences, if concluded and implemented, the visa exemption would save millions of Turkish citizens from suffering though visa procedures, which in fact have turned into humiliation. The EU should be fair and sincere in visa talks with Turkey in an understanding that free travel is not a value Europeans are granting but a fundamental human right. 

www.hurriyetdailynews.com
10/7/13
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2 comments :

  1. Turkey studying ‘annotated roadmap’ for visa liberalization with EU ...

    Turkey is working on a formula proposed by the EU to modify the roadmap for visa liberalization for Turkish citizens in exchange for the signing of a Readmission Agreement by Turkey. Ankara has currently been drafting its unilateral annotations to add to the proposed roadmap.

    The “annotated road map” will include demands that Ankara has insisted on, such as simultaneous implementation of the Readmission Agreement for third country nationals and the start of the visa-free regime for Turkish citizens.

    The foreign, interior and EU ministries held a meeting July 12 for the wording of the “annotated road map,” which Turkey will send the European Commission later, and agreement is expected be signed by the parties during a visit of European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström to Turkey in late July.

    The formula came to a deadlock on talks when the EU insisted Turkey to sign a readmission deal on illegal immigrants before the 28-member bloc started talks to facilitate visa requirements for Turkish nationals.

    Turkey is shying away from ratifying the Readmission Agreement, saying the EU should start implementing visa facilitation for Turkish citizens with the eventual aim of lifting visa requirements because the Readmission Agreement would put an additional burden on Turkey, as it would have to accept repatriation of the thousands of people who illegally migrated into European countries crossing through Turkish territory......http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-studying-annotated-roadmap-for-visa-liberalization-with-eu.aspx?pageID=238&nID=50696&NewsCatID=338
    15/7/13

    ReplyDelete
  2. Turkey slams Eurocourt ruling over visas...

    A decision of the Court of Justice of European Union (ECOJ) refusing to grant Turkish citizens the right to visa-free travel has been fiercely criticized by the Turkish government that described the rule as “unjust,” “political” and conflicting with the ongoing process between Ankara and Brussels for visa liberalization.

    In a written statement, Turkey’s EU Minister Egemen Bağış underlined that some EU countries who were pushing Turkey to sign the Readmission Agreement to move forward in visa-free travel talks had put the Court under pressure and had issued negative assessments with regard to the case.

    “This situation created suspicions about the sincerity of these countries over the visa liberalization process. It should be noted that Turkey will not ignore the positions of these countries during its talks with the European Commission,” Bağış said in his statement.

    Turkey and the European Commission were planning to accelerate a process that would grant visa-free travel rights to Turkish citizens in return for Ankara’s signing of the Readmission Agreement. The court’s decision is likely to create further difficulties for the parties to advance, due to the growing lack of confidence.

    Bağış said the court’s ruling was mainly political and was aiming at creating new borders within the European continent although the EU claimed to be removing such boundaries. “This decision of the ECOJ is unfortunate as regards the principle of rule of law, one of the most fundamental values of the EU,” he said.
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-slams-eurocourt-ruling-over-visas.aspx?pageID=238&nID=55077&NewsCatID=338
    24/9/13

    ReplyDelete

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