Die lange Reise bis zur Reisefreiheit: Eine Analyse der Verhandlungen zwischen der EU und der Turkei uber die Abschaffung der Visapflicht fur Turken
In: Südost-Europa: journal of politics and society, Band 61, Heft 2
ISSN: 0722-480X
In June 2012 the European Commission received the backing of the member states to launch a visa liberalisation process with Turkey in exchange for a readmission agreement that obliges Ankara to take back illegal immigrants who passed through Turkey as a transit country. This is remarkable in view of the rejection by several member states of the perspective of a visa free travel for Turks. My process tracing analysis suggests that the key to explaining this development is the argumentative strength of the European Commission, stemming from the necessity to cooperate with Turkey on migration and the norms of procedures, set in previous readmission negotiations, as well as the coalition between the Commission and the Danish Council Presidency . The article further explores which conditions Turkey now needs to fulfil for the visa waiver of its citizens. Adapted from the source document.