No free movement for Turks

According to a ruling issued by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on September 24, the EU is under no obligation to allow Turkish nationals without visas to enter its territory. The court dismissed a complaint filed by a Turkish citizen when she was refused a visa to visit a relative living in Germany in 2007, arguing that as a potential beneficiary of services within the EU, she could not benefit from a visa exemption.

The CJEU ruling will “establish a precedent for Turks travelling in the EU,” notes Zaman. The Istanbul daily also reports on the disappointment that greeted the verdict in Turkey, citing the minister for EU affairs, Egemen Bağış, who remarked that “the verdict had been influenced by non-legal and political considerations.” Zaman continues —

The Director of Istanbul Bilgi University’s Institute of European Relations, Ayhan Kaya, fears that support for EU accession in Turkey will now be even lower. [..] However, according to the head of the European affairs programme at Bahçeşehir University, Cengiz Aktar, the CJEU decision will not have a negative impact on ongoing negotiations between the EU and Turkey on simplified procedures for visas.

“The verdict was closely followed in Ankara,” notes Le Temps. For the Swiss daily —

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken a personal interest in the case as he has done in the question of his country’s accession to the EU. He finds it incomprehensible, and even discriminatory, that the EU should grant visa exemptions to South Americans, while Turks, who are economically and geographically closer, are denied free movement. […] In June, the Commissioner for Enlargement, Stefan Füle, pledged to open negotiations on visas. A Commission spokesman confirmed [on September 24] that informal talks are ongoing.