Turkey has yet to meet 7 requirements to get visa-free travel: EU

PanARMENIAN.Net - Dimitris Avramopoulos, the European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship on Wednesday, June 15 said the June deadline for the visa liberalization deal would pass as more work was needed on Turkey meeting the EU requirements, Sputnik news reports.

"The final time for visa-free travel will depend on both when Turkey completes work on the remaining benchmarks and when the co-legislatures ultimately take their decision," he said.

According to Avramopoulos, Turkey still has to fulfill 7 requirements out of the 72, necessary for getting the visa waiver.

European Parliament Green party asylum spokesperson, Jean Lambert said: "The analysis and proposals released by the Commission underline the dysfunctional nature of the EU's response to the refugee crisis. Returns to Greece under the Dublin system have long been suspended and the Greek system continues to be overwhelmed. It is unbelievable that the Commission is proposing to reinstate returns to Greece against this background, particularly given the painfully slow pace of relocation.

"The snail's pace of progress resettling and relocating refugees is clearly the fault of EU governments, which are refusing to accept their responsibilities in managing this humanitarian crisis. Less than 5% of the original commitment has so far been fulfilled. This is a damning indictment of the EU collective response, all the more as they have further reduced their commitment in the context of the highly controversial agreement with Turkey."