The
EU should make sure that all its requirements are met before granting
Turkey visa-free access to the Schengen area, stressed Civil
Liberties Committee MEPs in a debate with the EU Commission on Monday.
Most MEPs criticised the Commission for proposing a visa waiver for
Turkish nationals even though the country has not yet fulfilled all the
criteria. Turkey should not be discriminated,
but neither should it receive preferential treatment, they agreed.
Speakers
pointed to the statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
that Ankara will not change its antiterrorist legislation – one of the
pending requirements - and voiced worries about the political situation
in the country following the resignation of Prime Minister Ahmet
Davutoğlu, as well as threats to press freedom and human rights. Cypriot
MEPs also reiterated that Turkey does not recognise
their country.
On
Monday evening, MEPs were also presented with the opinion of the
Parliament´s legal service on the legal aspects of the EU-Turkey deal on
migration.
Since the agreement was concluded on 18 March, MEPs have voiced
concerns about its compatibility with EU and international law and have
complained about the lack of an opportunity to subject it to democratic
scrutiny.
The
legal experts said that the March statement merely reflects a political
commitment by the two parties and that it can in no way be considered
an international agreement, since it is not legally binding. They
underlined that all legal changes stemming from this deal will have to
follow the usual procedures, which in some cases involve Parliament,
such as visa liberalisation or disbursing funds for
assisting refugees in Turkey.
Many
MEPs protested over what they saw as a “shady” deal with serious
implications, which was reached at the highest EU level but left
Parliament
aside.
