22.05.2013 18:44
The European Stability Initiative (ESI), a renowned Berlin-based think tank specializing in EU enlargement policy, has said the EU should not drag its feet in granting visa-free travel to Turkish citizens, stating that an agreement to complete...
The European Stability Initiative (ESI), a renowned Berlin-based think tank specializing in EU enlargement policy, has said the EU should not drag its feet in granting visa-free travel to Turkish citizens, stating that an agreement to complete the process should be arrived at by 2015 at the latest.
In a report released on Tuesday titled "Cutting the Visa Knot: How Turks can travel freely to Europe," the ESI advised Turkey to assert a firm response to the EU that visa-free travel to Europe for Turkish citizens should be obtained within the next two years; otherwise, Turkey should refuse to sign a readmission agreement that would regulate the return of illegal migrants who come to Europe via Turkey.
"The visa liberalization dialogue cannot be open-ended. If we have not obtained visa-free travel by 2015 we will nullify the readmission agreement. In the next two years we are prepared to show the EU our goodwill; however, we expect the EU to show goodwill as well," the report advised Turkey to say to its interlocutors in Brussels.
It pointed out that Turkey should announce that it does not have to accept all the conditions posed by the EU on the visa issue; it said that the visa dialogue would be one "among equals," namely Turkey and the EU. The report mentioned that visa-free travel is a legal right of Turkey because of the 1963 Ankara Agreement with the then-European Economic Community (now the EU) and the additional protocol to the agreement of 1973.
Thanks to the Ankara Agreement (Agreement Creating an Association Between the Republic of Turkey and the European Economic Community) of 1963, and the annexed protocol signed in 1970 between the EU and Turkey, Turkish citizens were enjoying visa-free travel to the EU until the Sept. 12, 1980 coup. However, after the coup, a number of European nations imposed visa requirements for Turkish citizens, fearing a massive exodus from Turkey.
The report also stated that Turkey should note to the EU that the nation would like to see continuous improvement in terms of visa liberalization to Turkish citizens in their travel to Europe during the visa dialogue process.
Firstly, about four years ago, the EU countries told Turkey they were ready to grant visa-free travel to Turkish citizens if the country allowed the EU to return to it illegal migrants who had reached EU countries by way of Turkey. Such an agreement means the imposition of an additional condition by the EU, on top of the agreements that are already legally binding and require the EU to grant visa-free travel to Turkish citizens.
The report expressed that Turkey has already lost its confidence in the EU, due to long-term and almost-frozen accession negotiations period. The EU has to rebuild the confidence of Turkey in order to convince it to sign the readmission agreement, the report said. It has also emphasized that Turkey is the one and only EU candidate "that had been negotiating accession for years and whose citizens are unable to travel without a visa."
The report also remembered last year's initiative, started between Brussels and Ankara, to establish a dialogue aimed ultimately at visa liberalization. In June of last year, the Council of Europe authorized the European Commission, the executive arm of the 27-nation bloc, to begin talks with Turkey on visa liberalization. As a gesture of goodwill, Turkey initialed the readmission agreement.
"Almost a year has passed [since the decision for the start of talks]… but the dialogue on visa liberalization has yet to begin," the report said, criticizing the EU position.
(Cihan/Today's Zaman)