EU to ease visa procedures for Turkish citizens

EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom yesterday announced at a session of the European Parliament (EP) which was held in Strasbourg, France, that the EU would prepare a road map aimed removing visa requirements for Turkish citizens and in the meantime it would take steps to ease visa procedures. The Schengen visa issue was brought to agenda for the first time at the EP's Turkey-EU Visa Relations session, in which Malmstrom represented the EU and EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis participated on behalf of Turkey. As part of the EU's new visa perspective, it will provide Turkish citizens with long-term visas consisting of multiple entries, process of getting a visa will become shorter, documents required to get a visa will be minimized and certain occupational groups such as businessmen, artists, sportsmen, etc. will be provided with a quite long-term or non-expiry visas. Bagis described this initiative as the "light at the end of the tunnel," saying that Turkey is the only country which has been continuing membership talks with the EU, but which is unable benefit from the Schengen visa exemption. As part of his contacts at the EP, Bagis also signed an important agreement with the EU that will allow experts who work in Turkish public institutions to serve the European Commission, and met with Chairman of the EP's Committee on Foreign Affairs Gabriele Albertini, Europe-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Commission Co-Chair Helene Flautre and Chairman of the Socialist Group in the EP Martin Schulz.