The Commission of the European has proposed that more steps should be taken toward Schengen visa facilitation for Türkiye.
The Commission put forward a comprehensive report on the state of its political, economic, and trade relations with Türkiye yesterday, and it was emphasised that visa facilitation is one of the key aspects of enhancing people-to-people contact between the EU and Türkiye.
Emphasising the importance of finding common ground with Türkiye, the Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlightenment, Olivér Várhelyi, said that there is an urgent need for a constructive attitude to support the proposed actions.
Commissioner Várhelyi further stressed that as a matter of priority, they are advocating for facilitated access to visa applications, especially for businesspeople and students.
Moreover, Commissioner Varhelyi said that multiple entry visas with longer-term validity should be issued to Turkish nationals so that cooperation between the EU and Türkiye is further enhanced.
As a matter of priority – we are proposing also to explore the Member States to facilitate access to visa applications, and to facilitate the people-to-people contact, in particular for business people and students and this should include issuing multiple entry visas with longer-term validities.
Apart from the visa issue, the Commission report emphasises the importance of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and encourages closer EU-Türkiye collaboration on various fronts, including migrations, trade, investments, connectivity, and green and digital transitions.
Türkiye has been consistently calling for facilitated Schengen visa rules for its citizens. Just recently, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, Hakan Fidan, complained of the increased Schengen visa rejection rates and demanded that the EU take measures.
Expressing the country’s frustration with the current rules, Minister Fidan said that Türkiye has already conveyed its expectations to the EU and that it wants a fast solution to the ongoing visa-related issues.
Minister Fidan required that the Schengen countries also issue long-term visas with multiple entries for Turkish citizens and said that the country is also working on the matter.
According to Minister Fidan, the Schengen visa rejection rates for Turkish applicants were stable between 2014 and 2016, at around four per cent.
However, they steadily increased after that period, reaching 17 per cent in 2016. While in 2022 there was a slight increase in the number of rejected applicants, to 15.7 per cent, Minister Fidan said that this is still a very high rate.
Türkiye has been an official candidate for EU membership for the past 24 years. Talks between Türkiye and the EU have stalled due to disagreements, with the country having another six criteria to fulfill.
