Visa policy,European Union,Turkey and Turkey’s Strategic Importance and Factors Over the World, Strategic Importance, Geopolitical Dimension, Economic Dimension Turkey – EU Relations, The Ankara Agreement , Customs Union, Negotiation Process, The Helsinki Summit, The Benefits of Accession for Turkey and the EU, EU Visa Status and Turkey,Is Turkey ready to join the EU?

1. Visa Policy
and
The Role of Supranational
Agency
Tanju Ayşe Oflaz

2. CONTENT
1. What is European Union and the Purpose
2. Turkey’s Strategic Importance and Factors Over the World
Strategic Importance
Geopolitical Dimension
Economic Dimension
3. Turkey – EU Relations
4. The Ankara Agreement
5. Customs Union
6. Negotiation Process
7. The Helsinki Summit
8. The Benefits of Accession for Turkey and the EU
9. EU Visa Status and Turkey
10. Is Turkey ready to join the EU?

3. EUROPEAN UNION
The European Union (EU) is a politico-economic union
of 28 member states that are located primarily
in Europe. The EU operates through a system of
supranational institutions and
intergovernmental negotiated decisions by the member
states.
The institutions are: the European Commission, the
Council of the European Union, the European Council,
the Court of Justice of the European Union, theEuropean
Central Bank, the Court of Auditors, and the European
Parliament. The European Parliament is elected every
five years by EU citizens.
(Wikipedia)

4. PURPOSE
Economical Union
Political Union
Growth and Stability
Single Currency
Human Rights and Equality
Transparent and Democratic Institutions
(Wikipedia)

6. Strategic Importance of
Turkey
Strategic importance plays a big role in the politics of countries.
After the September 11 terror attacks in New York, the strategic
importance of Turkey is increased.
1. The importance of Turkey is because of its geographical location
between Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
2. Being a modern Muslim country and culturally stands as a bridge
between Western and Islamic world.
3. The big role in the distribution of energy from Middle East to
Europe.
4. In the region Turkey has strong relationships among all neighbors,
including Israel, Russia and Arabic nations.
5. Turkey is a member of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
since 1952 and a strategic partner of United States.
So, It is possible to consider the strategic importance of Turkey under
three subsections:
a.geopolitical dimension,
b.economic dimension
c.political/cultural dimension.

7. Geopolitical Dimension
Turkey is in the middle of the four regions (Balkans,Caucasus,
East and Gulf)
Is located on the Anatolian peninsula, has three seas around:
Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Aegean Sea.
Used as an express passage for invaders both going from West
to East and from East to West
Already has role of natural energy bridge between the Middle
East and Europe
As for these reasons Turkey is a great
importance to European Union

8. Economic Dimension
turkey is a continuously growing country with a 70
million market
Has a developing technology and entrepreneurship
opening to the world.
The economical relationship between Europe and Turkey
is increasing.
Turkey is also becoming more and more important
partner for the EU in energy such as new routes for oil
and gas. approximately 10–15 per cent of the gas needed
in Europe could come through Turkey.
Turkey is also has eeconomical potential from which are
separated from Soviet Union.

9. Political and Cultural
Dimension
The most important of them is that Turkey being an
Islamic country, and is the only secular and democratic
Islamic country.
With its developing potential, as an economical, military
and political power is generating a different model for
the Islamic world.
From the aspect of political/cultural dimension
examinations, when combined with the geopolitical and
economical dimensions, it is clear to see that, Turkey is
not only a regional power but also is holding its place in
the international arena.

10. Turkey and EU Relations
As a part of the European family, Turkey had an influence on the
political, economic and socio-cultural developments in the
Continent and also been influenced by them.
So it is important to analize the role that Turkey in the
Continent.
Since shared many destinies in the past , Turkey will also share
future.
Therefore , relations with the EU are a fundamental for the
Turkish foreign policy and the goal is to become an EU member
is a strategic choice.

11. The Ankara Agreement
Turkey-EU relations are based on the framework of the association
regime based on Ankara Agreement which was signed with the
European Economic Community on 12 September 1963 and took
effect on 1 December 1964.
Ankara Agreement has three stages ;
1. A preparatory stage,
2. A transitional stage,
3. A final stage.
The completion of the Customs Union was planned at the end of
the transitional stage.
With the finalization of the preparatory stage in the Agreement,
the obligations of the Parties were determined in the Additional
Protocol signed on 13 November 1970 and put into effect in 1973.

12. Customs Union
With the completion of the transitional stage, the Customs
Union with the EU, entered into force on 1 January 1996.
The level of integration between the Parties reached an
advanced point with the Customs Union and the next goal
of Turkey became the membership to the EU, as indicated
in Ankara Agreement (Article 28).
The Customs Union continues to be a fundamental
dimension of our relations with the EU.

13. The Helsinki Summit
A new period began in the relations between Turkey
and the EU after Turkey assumed “candidate status”
during the Helsinki Summit on 10-11 December 1999.
As the Council took note that Turkey sufficiently
fulfilled the political criteria and decided to open
accession negotiations with Turkey on 3 October 2005
as planned.
As published on 12 October 2011 proposed to develop
a “Positive Agenda” between Turkey and the EU on
subjects such as “visa”, “mobility and migration”,
“energy”, “fight against terrorism”, “further
participation of Turkey in Community programmes”,
“trade and the Customs Union” etc.

14. The Benefits of Accession for
Turkey and the EU
Despite negative impacts of the economic and
financial crisis which is being felt since 2009, Turkey, is
the 6th largest European economy and also has
intensive commercial and economic relations with the
Union.
Currently, approximately 37% of our total foreign
trade is realized with the EU member states. 70% of
the foreign direct investment in our country comes
from the EU.
Turkey’s accession will increase the size of the
European internal market and strengthen the relative
competitiveness of the EU in the global economy

16. EU Visa Status
Different visa regimes are being applied in the EU and
even for the member countries such as for Bulgaria and
Romania's which faced fulll veto even though these
countries joined Schengen area as of January 1, 2014.
Other examples from the past years;
«The Netherlands and Denmark have frequently been
mentioned as hostile to opening the Schengen visa-free
travel to Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina (Euractiv 2010).
Germany was also against rapid visa liberalisation for
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania but eventually agreed. «
(2013 by Alexander Bürgin)

17. EU Visa Status
The EU member counties and their citizens have the rights to
visa-free travel through the EU countries for 90 days but do not
have the rights to stay longer and/or work there.
This means that being a member of EU does not mean,
the member country has the rights of visa-free travel.

18. EU visa status and
Turkey
«The resistance to visa-free travel for Turkish citizens is much
stronger, due to the expectation that many Turkish visitors will
settle permanently, ignoring the maximum stay of 90 days in a
180 days period, in addition to the existing political objections to
Turkey’s EU membership.
During the Danish Presidency, a window of opportunity opened
due to Presidency related factors and external developments.
Unlike Hungary and Poland, Denmark is a target of illegal
migration and thus has a national interest in returning illegal
immigrants entering the country via Turkey. »
(2013 by Alexander Bürgin)

19. EU visa status and Turkey
Turkey, and the EU took an important step towards visa
liberalization and agreed to sign the Readmission Agreement in
December 2014.
The visa dialogue between the EU and Turkey in Ankara for visa
liberalization is on completion the requirements in three years,
Turkey will carry out the visa dialogue with the EU.

20. Is Turkey ready to join the
EU?
Maybe not today!
Tomorrow’s Turkey will be member of tomorrow’s EU.
Turkey’s current problems can be solved within the EU accession process,
with open and transparent negotiations, for more rational policies.
As a member of a new generation of European Turks, I believe that my
generation will adopt and implement progressive policies that Turkish
citizens deserve.
We will work for a better Europe which deserves the confidence of its
citizens; their pride of being European; their optimism for the future.
We will finalize Turkey’s EU membership process: this will be a new
beginning for Turkey as a success story of political and economic reforms
and in the expansion of its global power.
Moreover, will also be a great achievement for human civilization for
better democracy.

21. References
Salience, path dependency and the coalition between the
European Commission and the Danish Council Presidency:
Why the EU opened a visa liberalization process with Turkey
(Alexander Bürgin Izmir University of Economics, Department of
Political Science and International Relations, Assistant Professor)
Hürriyet Daily News
Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Deutsche Welle
Wikipedia
European Union Website