Two additional measures can be completed only after the end-June target date for the deal.
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The European Commission’s 2015 report on Turkey also complained of politicisation of the Turkish judiciary, widespread corruption, inadequate protection of minority rights and “significant backsliding” on freedom of speech and assembly.
The Commission found that Turkey has still failed to achieve all 72 visa benchmarks, which range from biometric passports to respect for human rights, meaning its approval will be conditional on Ankara fulfilling them all.
“There is still work to be done as a matter of urgency, but if Turkey sustains the progress made, they can meet the remaining benchmarks”, European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans said in Brussels on Wednesday.
The European Commission is set to recommend granting visa-free travel for Turkish citizens inside Europe’s passport-free Schengen area, despite unease among some EU lawmakers. At his vegan bistro in Berlin, Turkish-born businessman Yusuf Atalay called it great news for families struggling to visit Germany – which has about 3 million people claiming Turkish roots – for weddings and other celebrations due to strict visa rules.
If the European Union doesn’t give the green light to visa liberalization, Turkey will suspend implementation of the agreement on the readmission of refugees. This suspension mechanism can be triggered by any Member State, by notifying the Commission that it is confronted with an emergency situation which it cannot remedy on its own, flowing from visa-free travel.
Speaking at the Ankara Chamber of Commerce, the career diplomat said: “We have never been so close in our relationship with the EU during our European adventure”.
EU Affairs Minister Volkan Bozkir interpreted Wednesday’s decision as a sign Turkey has already met the 72 criteria and was upbeat on the likelihood of endorsement by the EU parliament and council, noting that the decision required a qualified majority, not unanimity.
Timmermans said the new mechanism would be activated only in times of crisis, and countries that show they temporarily can not take any asylum seekers under the mechanism should show “financial solidarity”, he added. “The decision taken today could be a turning point in our relations”, he said.
The EU aims to grant visa-free access to its Schengen travel zone by the end of June as part of a wider deal on Turkey taking back migrants from Greece.
Turkey shares an 822 kilometer-long border with war-torn Syria, a border described as porous and incapable of preventing the movement of jihadists who could now gain even easier entry to the EU. That means that journalists, scientists or ordinary citizens will be able to travel to Europe without waiting in queues and undergoing lengthy visa procedures.
Visa liberalisation was the most valuable but politically explosive concession made to Turkey under a landmark deal reached in mid-March, under which Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu agreed to help stem the migratory flow into the EU. The deal went into effect on March 21.
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In exchange, the European Union will resettle one Syrian refugee from camps in Turkey for every Syrian that Turkey takes back from the Greek islands, the aim being to discourage people from crossing to Greece in the first place.
