Irem Guney Columnist, Turkish Weekly Germany Corespondent printable version send your friend message to author add comment (2)

Tuesday, 31 March 2009

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that  Turkish citizens who wish to enter the EU countries with the aim of providing services should not be required to obtain visa. [1].

This decision has fueled an ongoing debate in European Union countries on the visa-free travel of some Turkish citizens. The ruling is important as it seems likely that there are going to be more problems in the future, and the issue needs immediate clarification. And as we have witnessed, it can hardly be said that the ruling was greeted with enthusiasm by all European societies.

I believe that the questions arising after the ECJ’s decision are intimately related to questions about Turkey’s “European” character and the “compatibility capability” of common Turkish citizens with the “European way of life”. Nevertheless, in my opinion, it does not make much sense to talk about the integration capability of a tourist who at most is going to spend a couple of weeks in the EU. However, the main point in the entire visa procedure is that the applicant is a tourist who will not cause any problems and return home in due time.

There were times in the not-so-distant past when Turkish citizens could travel in Europe without dealing with visa problems. It is important to analyze what exactly has changed since then. As it turns out, you cannot explain this worsening legal status of Turks in Europe merely by pointing at the integration and deepening of the European Union and the increased complexity of legal issues.

The visa requirements we face are tantamount to saying that Turkey and Turkish citizens are not European. I am aware of the fact that upon joining the European Union club, new members have to accept limitations to the freedom of movement of their people because old members are afraid of losing jobs to the newcomers. Although that does not seem fair to me, I can understand it to a certain extent.

Implementing visas for tourists, students, businessmen, athletes and the like, however, is not at all understandable. It can only be understood if we say that Turks are different from the other peoples inside the club; even though Turkey is a full candidate for the European Union club. Then we should ask ourselves, “Why were they made a candidate in the first place?”

That is also why a privileged partnership as an alternative to full membership does not make sense for Turkey. As long as there is no freedom of movement of people, we cannot even begin to talk of partnership! Moreover, Turkey already is a privileged partner since signing the Ankara Agreement in 1963!

In this situation, it is well worth looking beyond the governmental sphere and assessing the sentiments of European societies and populations. Thus, the level of popular support in countries like Germany, France, Italy, etc. for the visa-free travel of Turkish people can be interpreted as a pretty good indicator of the support for Turkey’s European aspirations, and of a more general acknowledgement of Turkey’s European-ness. In addition, these sentiments allow us a glimpse of the kind of Europe we are likely to see in the future.

Not to forget: the level of support will be an all-important hint of which results we should expect if Turkey’s membership were to be decided by referendum. This could result in a situation in which old and new Europe approach each other in reconciliation – creating an area of full democracy, prosperity, and stability; or it could produce a Europe in which new abstract walls are built to divide citizens according to religious and cultural differences.