On Thursday, 23 May, European Commissioner for Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi advocated strengthening relations between the EU and Turkey during his visit to Ankara.
“When we think about Turkey, we think about a candidate country, a key partner, a strategic and major NATO ally, and a country that is [at] the crossroads of two armed conflicts. Therefore, our engagement is more necessary than ever”, he stressed during a press conference with Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan.
“We need each other more and more, and [...] we need to engage more and more”, he added, calling for high-level dialogues to resume.
The commissioner revisited the subject of economic exchanges, highlighting the work underway on an EU-Turkey investment platform. “We are [now looking at] the technical work in preparing for the platform to start to function. And in doing that, we hope to conclude all the groundwork this year so that, from next year, we will [already be] seeing projects emerging”, he explained.
The aim is to mobilise public and private investments. “The platform is supposed to [not only] help to diversify [the economy further] but also to attract investments in crucial areas like the green economy or the digital economy and also connectivity, innovation, [and] technology. We are covering, I think, 14 areas of the economy”, explained Mr Várhelyi. According to him, at least €2.4 billion in direct investments could be poured into the Turkish economy via the platform.
The commissioner also hoped that the revision of the customs union could begin as early as this year, while specifying that the decision rested with the Council of the EU.
Furthermore, whereas [the number of] Turks applying for visas rose 30% last year, Mr Várhelyi felt that visa facilitation was needed.
“We discussed with the minister how to improve the situation on the ground so that people [can] get their visas faster, so that they get visas that are valid for a longer [period of] time and with which they can access the European Union several times during [that] period”, he added. Mr Hakan advocated visa liberalisation.
He also reiterated that Turkey’s objective was still to join the EU and to meet the criteria for doing so. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)