Turkey’s Visa Free Travel Process with the EU: Trap or Gift?

German Marshall Fund of the United States, December 19, 2014

Diba Nigar Göksel *

The prospect of Turkish citizens traveling to the EU without a visa in a few years stands out as one of the only viable short-term goals to mobilize around in Turkey’s EU integration track. Turkey will need  to carry out significant reforms — some of them costly — in order to meet the conditions for visa-free travel. Essentially it is a win-win journey, but there is also a risk that the prospect will be squandered. In any case, as long as the root causes of irregular migration are not addressed, managing borders will be a growing challenge for both Turkey and the EU. The EU and Turkey have a shared interest in pooling their complementary strengths toward sustainable development in the region.

* Diba Nigar Göksel is editor-in-chief of Turkish Policy Quarterly. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of GMF.

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