Brussels, 19/07/2016 (Agence Europe) - In order for the agreement on migrant management reached between the EU and Turkey to work, the two parties must respect their commitments. The European Commission made this clear on Tuesday 19 July when one of its Commissioners, Günther Oettinger, predicted that Turkey would not obtain the visa free system this year.
The Commission reiterated, as it had done the previous day, that the successful application of this agreement depended on the political will of both parties, which must respect their commitments. The EU will indeed do this and expects Turkey to do the same, explained the spokesperson for the Commission, Margaritis Schinas.
The Commissioner for the Digital Economy, Günther Oettinger, said that Turkish citizens would not yet be able to benefit from a visa exemption for short stay before the end of the year, even if this is part of the agreement concluded between the EU and Ankara last March. The Commissioner informed the German press that "I predict that we won't have a regulation on visa free travel before the end of the year".
Turkey has fulfilled 67 of the 72 criteria. It should be pointed out that it has not yet responded to the request to change its anti-terrorist laws. The European Parliament still has to vote on this system, despite the fact that the Civil Liberties Committee has already expressed many concerns about the subject. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)