The European Union has eased guidelines for Turks to make use of its open-border Schengen space, the bloc’s ambassador to Ankara introduced on Friday, calling for the pressing revival of negotiations on visa-free journey for Turks.
Turkish Trade Minister Ömer Bolat confirmed that the European Commission has issued a brand new doc geared toward facilitating and accelerating Schengen visa procedures for Turkish residents and has shared it with EU member states.
For years, Turkish residents and companies have complained concerning the EU’s visa system. The EU has argued the processes – managed by accredited visa companies – have been sluggish as a result of excessive variety of purposes and that it was discussing attainable workarounds with Ankara.
The new pointers permit for longer-term, multiple-entry visas to be issued to Turkish nationals who’ve beforehand obtained a Schengen visa and traveled repeatedly with out overstaying.
Bolat recalled the difficulties Turkish residents have confronted lately, together with lengthy appointment wait instances, the issuance of very short-term visas and excessive rejection charges.
These issues have been constantly raised with EU officers in any respect ranges, together with the European Commission, the European Council and bilateral conferences with member states, he stated in an announcement on Friday.
Multiple-entry visa pathway
Ambassador Thomas Hans Ossowski stated the brand new guidelines would assist handle Turks’ complaints over lengthy bureaucratic processes, however warned it was not sufficient to completely resolve the issues.
“It will be much easier and much faster for Turkish citizens,” Ossowski instructed reporters in Ankara, referring to the European Commission’s new determination, in impact since July 15, simplifying the trail to multiple-entry visas for Turks.
Turks who beforehand used visas accurately will probably be eligible for a six-month visa as early as their second software, adopted by one-year, three-year and five-year multiple-entry visas.
Türkiye has been an EU membership candidate since 1999 however its accession course of has been frozen for years over a number of disagreements, together with the extended means of enlargement of the scope of the customs union settlement, maritime points with Greece and Greek Cyprus, and EU insurance policies on Syrian refugees.
There have lately been indicators of elevated engagement and financial cooperation.
Renewed push for visa-free journey
Ossowski stated the EU had for greater than a decade supplied Türkiye the prospect of visa-free journey and confused the necessity to return to the liberalization course of.
Negotiations for visa-free journey between the EU and Türkiye started in 2016 however yielded no outcomes.
“Every other candidate country has visa-free travel except Türkiye,” he stated. “It is urgent to re-engage in this process of visa-free travel in the Schengen space and the EU,” Ossowski added.
The Commission is able to restart formal negotiations after the summer season and work with Ankara on fulfilling the six remaining benchmarks required by the visa liberalisation roadmap, he stated.
“We are ready, the Commission is ready to work closely with Turkish authorities,” he stated.
Diplomatic engagement
Bolat stated, Türkiye has pursued a constructive agenda with the EU, initiating a high-level commerce dialogue and holding key conferences in each Ankara and Brussels to start eradicating limitations in bilateral relations.
“We have always reminded EU authorities and member states that visa liberalization is a right granted to Turkish citizens under international agreements,” he famous.
“In the meantime, while we await the removal of visa restrictions, we have stressed the need for practical solutions: shortening appointment times for business, tourism, transport and education-related travel, and improving the capacity of EU embassies and consulates in Türkiye.”
He famous that EU officers have acknowledged Türkiye because the second-largest recipient of Schengen visas globally – after China – with over 1 million visas issued yearly and a median rejection price of round 15%.
The newest spherical of detailed discussions came about on July 1 through the Türkiye-EU High-Level Trade Dialogue in Ankara.
According to Bolat, EU officers knowledgeable them throughout these talks {that a} new visa facilitation scheme was within the works.
“We are pleased to see that the European Commission has finalized and circulated this document to member states as of yesterday,” he stated. “It envisions longer-term, multiple-entry visas for Turkish citizens who have demonstrated regular and reliable travel behavior, with no migration or security risk.”
“This is an important and positive development for our citizens in terms of tourism, business, trade, investment, education, academia, and civil society engagements.”
‘No excuse’
Bolat confused that embassies and consulates of the 25 Schengen nations “no longer have any excuse” to delay the method.
“To accelerate this implementation, we urge urgent upgrades to consular infrastructure, including buildings, staffing, and IT systems,” he added. “The European Commission has responded positively to our calls, formally launching the method for issuing long-term, multiple-entry visas by means of this new directive to member states.”
“This is a major step that will enhance cooperation between Türkiye and EU countries in trade, education, tourism, culture and investment,” Bolat stated, calling visas a “physical barrier to the movement of people” that’s now being eased.
Bolat additionally said that efforts will proceed to ease and expedite procedures for first-time visa candidates.
“We believe this facilitation and acceleration process will soon apply to first-time applicants as well, provided that everyone complies with the updated regulations,” he stated.
Customs union enlargement
Looking forward, Bolat reiterated that Türkiye expects progress in increasing and modernizing the EU-Türkiye Customs Union to incorporate companies and e-commerce.
“The Commission has already recommended the start of negotiations. The matter now rests with the European Council. Once approval is granted, we are ready to begin talks immediately – and so is the Commission,” he concluded.
First applied in 1995, the Türkiye-EU Customs Union has helped enhance financial ties. But business teams have lengthy argued that the settlement is outdated and ill-suited for as we speak’s commerce surroundings.
A bunch of disagreements over latest years have stalled the negotiations. The deeper Nineties-era settlement can be expanded to companies, farm items and public procurement. The present deal solely covers a restricted vary of commercial merchandise.
Türkiye’s whole commerce quantity with Europe – together with each EU and non-EU nations – reached $327 billion in 2024, with $149 billion in exports and $178 billion in imports, in accordance with the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK).
Source: www.dailysabah.com