İYİ Party's Dalgın submits parliamentary question to Foreign Minister Fidan: Visa issues and personal data

Dalgın directed the question, "Have contacts been made with EU and Schengen countries regarding the alleged activities of VFS Global and similar companies?" to Minister Hakan Fidan in relation to the censored investigative report by Kısa Dalga.

In the parliamentary question submitted to the Speaker of the TBMM for Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to answer, İYİ Party Balıkesir MP Burak Dalgın recalled that the problems faced by citizens of the Republic of Turkey in visa applications for European Union and Schengen countries have been on the public agenda for a long time.

Dalgın stated the following:

"The inability to find appointments, the extension of application processes for months, the presentation of additional services as if they were effectively mandatory, the additional costs incurred through intermediary institutions, and allegations of a black market for appointments are victimizing our citizens; they are also negatively affecting Turkey-EU relations.

Finally, in an investigation published through a joint effort by 14 media organizations from 12 countries, led by Lighthouse Reports, it was alleged that VFS Global directs applicants to high-cost additional services; that services such as text messages, courier, printing, scanning, and premium lounges are presented as if they were effectively mandatory in some countries; that appointments are blocked via bots and external agencies and then sold; and that there are serious risks regarding the protection of personal data and allegations of corruption.

The visa problem is no longer just an administrative glitch; it has turned into a structural issue that directly affects the freedom of travel, economic relations, cultural contacts, and educational opportunities of a large segment of the population."

"What initiatives have been taken with EU institutions and member states in the last three years?"

Dalgın directed the following questions to Minister Fidan:

"1. Does your Ministry keep an inventory of complaints regarding visa applications made through VFS Global and similar external service providers? How many complaints have been received in the last three years, and in which countries are they concentrated?

2. Have contacts been made with EU and Schengen countries regarding the alleged activities of VFS Global and similar companies? What are the concrete results of these contacts?

3. What are the guarantees and audit mechanisms that your Ministry demands from the relevant countries and external service providers to protect the personal data of our citizens during visa application processes?

4. What initiatives have been taken with EU institutions and member states in the last three years regarding the appointment difficulties, high rejection rates, and increasing costs faced by citizens of the Republic of Turkey in Schengen visa applications? At what stage are the negotiations being conducted with the EU regarding visa-free travel?"

News Source: 12punto