Türkiye says EU promised to ease Schengen visa issue

Brussels: Trade Minister Ömer Bolat said late Wednesday that the European Union had assured Türkiye it would facilitate the process of Schengen visa issuances, a long-standing issue that has frustrated Ankara over recent years.

Since assuming office in early June, Bolat said he had engaged in four productive discussions with EU officials.

“During our discussions, we conveyed our concerns about visa-related issues at the highest level. We received a response, stating, ‘We are currently in a preparatory phase and will initiate the process of visa facilitation,'” the minister told the Parliament’s Planning and Budget Commission.

The last round of talks took place last month in Brussels when Bolat held talks with European Commission Executive Vice President and European Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, European Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi and Paolo Gentiloni, the European commissioner for the economy.

The lengthy processing times and a significant increase in rejection rates of Turks’ applications for visas to the 27 Schengen countries have disrupted travel and business plans, and angered Ankara, which denounced it as a deliberate effort and “political blackmail.”

Türkiye has been an official candidate to join the European Union for 24 years, but accession talks have stalled in recent years over a number of disagreements and political roadblocks. Türkiye suggests it has fulfilled most of the criteria for membership.

Though the accession process stalled, Türkiye has remained a key economic and defense partner for the 27-member bloc.

Bolat stated that despite the suspension of political dialogue in 2019, collaborations in the economic and trade sectors between Türkiye and the EU have continued.

He emphasized what he said was the EU’s constructive and trade-related approach in the new phase of their relationship after the May elections, particularly in addressing the challenges within the customs union.

The customs union update and visa liberalization have been some of the main roadblocks.

Türkiye is the only non-EU country with a customs union agreement with the bloc.

The deal came into force in 1995 but is limited to industrial goods and processed agricultural products. A deeper trade agreement would be expanded to services, farm goods and public procurement.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, has long pushed for revamping the deal but failed to register any progress.

The customs union has been a turning point in the trade and economic integration between Türkiye and the EU. It lifted its bilateral trade volume from some $30 billion in 1995 to a record high of nearly $200 billion in 2022.

Türkiye signed an association agreement with the EU’s predecessor in 1964, the European Economic Community (EEC), which is usually regarded as a first step to eventually becoming a candidate. Applying for official candidacy in 1987, it had to wait until 1999 to be granted the status of a candidate country. For the start of the negotiations, however, Türkiye had to wait for another six years, until 2005, a uniquely long process compared with other candidates.

Eyes are now turned toward the upcoming European Commission enlargement report, due out this month, which Bolat said is expected to reflect Türkiye’s positive developments in foreign policy, economic relations and cooperation with the EU.

EU member state leaders are scheduled to convene in mid-December in Brussels, where they will decide on the future of relations with Türkiye based on the road map prepared by the commission, according to Bolat.