Brussels, 20/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 20 October, the Commission presented its first report on progress by Turkey in fulfilling the requirements set in its visa liberalisation roadmap.
“This first report shows that Turkey is doing effective efforts to meet the criteria identified in its visa liberalisation roadmap. Work is still needed. I am convinced that Turkey will keep a steady pace towards the fulfilment of the benchmarks by bringing forward several essential legislative and administrative reforms”, said Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström. The report acknowledges the progress made regarding the Turkish passport and civil registry systems, the importance of the reforms recently adopted in the field of migration and international protection, some positive developments in border cooperation with the EU Member States and FRONTEX, as well as the encouraging initiatives taken to reform anti-terror legislation.
At the same time, further steps remain necessary to fully comply with the requirements of the visa roadmap. The report recommends inter alia that: on document security, Turkey will need to start issuing new passports that include biometric data, in line with the EU acquis, and develop cooperation with EU member states in detecting forged and fraudulent travel documents; - on migration management, Turkey will need to ensure the effective implementation of the new Law on Foreigners and International Protection, and will need to complete the setting up of the General Directorate for Migration Management; - measures should be taken in Turkey to set up a more modern, effective and integrated border management system, to strengthen the visa system, as well as to develop stronger border cooperation with EU member states; - the EU expects full and effective implementation vis-à-vis all member states of the EU-Turkey readmission agreement that entered into force on 1 October 2014; - on public order and security, the Turkish authorities need to sign, ratify, and start implementing several international conventions, to adopt national legislation in line with European and international standards, and to continue the reform of Turkey's justice system, with a view to safeguarding its independence and efficiency; - in the area of fundamental rights, Turkey should continue to revise anti-terrorism legislation and work on ensuring that this legislation is implemented in line with European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) provisions; - Turkey will also need to adopt and implement a comprehensive strategy and action plan to improve the situation for people with Roma heritage living in Turkey, as well as legislation to prevent discrimination and facilitate social inclusion. (LC)