EU

#Turkey: 'No bazaar politics over visa liberalization' - Guy Verhofstadt

Published

10 years ago

April 20, 2016

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (pictured) has declared that Turkey will renege the EU-Turkey deal if Turkey does not get visa liberalisation this summer. The Liberals and Democrats remind the Commission that all 72 criteria have to be met before it proposes visa liberalization. ALDE group leader Guy Verhofstadt has also reiterated his plea to "get our own European House in order so that we are not totally dependent on Erdogan any more".

Verhofstadt said: "The Council has signed up to an impossible timetable on visa free travel for Turkish citizen. The criteria and rules for visa free travel is clear and the European Parliament cannot accept endorsing hasty bazaar style negotiations. The EU-Turkey deal can only be acceptable, if standards and legality is respected – we cannot outsource our asylum and migration policy to Turkey.

"More importantly, European leaders should use this period to make sure that independent from the deal with Turkey, Europe is ready to deal with migration in a systematic way.

"Turkey seems to see the summer as a deadline. I hope this will put pressure on our leaders to put in place a European Coast and Border Guard, a European Asylum System and a European Blue Card before this summer."

ALDE LIBE co-ordinator Cecilia Wikström added: "It is sad to see how EU-leaders are trying to outsource our European responsibilities to Turkey, by trying to set up a system which ensures that Europe does not need to receive any refugees, despite our international commitments. Turkey is a country that shoots and pushes back refugees at the Syrian border and it is impossible for the EU to cooperate with a country which does not respect international law. It is a mistake to believe that Turkey can solve our problems. Only a truly European approach, based on solidarity and compassion can do this."