If Turkey completes the remaining 6 criteria for EU visa liberalization, will visas be lifted immediately?

Turkey has launched a new initiative under the joint coordination of the ministries of foreign affairs, interior, and justice to meet the final six criteria in the European Union (EU) visa liberalization process.

As part of the new strategic approach announced by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, the goal is to revitalize the long-stalled Visa Liberalization Dialogue. However, the question most frequently asked by the public is whether the doors to a visa-free Europe will open immediately if Turkey fulfills all the requirements.

66 CRITERIA MET IN 13 YEARS

The Visa Liberalization Dialogue between Turkey and the EU began on December 16, 2013, with a roadmap consisting of 72 criteria. While Turkey successfully met 65 of these criteria in the first three years of the process, this number reached 66 in 2018 with the alignment of biometric passports with international standards. To date, no consensus or concrete steps have been achieved on the remaining 6 criteria that would fully satisfy the EU's expectations.

THE 6 CRITERIA AWAITING FULFILLMENT

Despite the 13 years that have passed, the six fundamental criteria that continue to create friction between the parties consist of the following points:

• * Amending the scope of the Anti-Terror Law to align with EU standards.
• * Establishing and implementing an Operational Cooperation Agreement with the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (EUROPOL).
• * Implementing the anti-corruption recommendations of the Council of Europe's Group of States against Corruption (GRECO).
• * Bringing the Personal Data Protection Law into full compliance with European standards.
• * Turkey cooperating on crime-related matters with all Union members, including the Republic of Cyprus.
• * Fully implementing all elements of the Readmission Agreement, which provides for the return of those who cross into the EU through irregular channels via Turkey.

Among these items, the Anti-Terror Law stands out as the most challenging topic. Turkey, which has focused on security measures following the July 15 coup attempt, seeks flexibility without changing the essence of the law, while the EU administration insists that the scope of the law must be narrowed.

HOW WILL THE APPROVAL PROCESS WORK?

Experts remind that even if these six missing criteria are met in full, visa exemption will not automatically take effect. For visas to be lifted, the European Commission must first issue a positive opinion stating that the steps have been completed in accordance with the roadmap.

Following the Commission's report, a challenging two-stage political approval process begins. To grant visa exemption to Turkish citizens, approval is required from both the European Parliament (EP) and the Council of the EU, which consists of member states. It is assessed that even if technical and legal criteria are met, overcoming potential political barriers in the European Parliament and the Council of the EU may prove to be a more difficult test for Turkey.

If both institutions give their approval and the green light, the relevant EU regulation will be amended. With the completion of these official procedures, Turkey will be removed from the list of countries subject to visas and finally included in the positive list of countries that enjoy visa exemption.

News Source: 12punto