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Turkey Yet to Implement 7 Conditions to Achieve Visa-Free Regime With EU

© Sputnik / Alexey Vitvitsky / Go to the mediabankEuropean Union flags in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. (File)
European Union flags in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. (File) - Sputnik International
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Turkish authorities still have to implement seven conditions of the European Union needed to reach the liberalization of visa regime between Ankara and Brussels, the European Commission said in a press release issued on Thursday.

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MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, the European Commission presented the fourth report on the implementation of a migration deal between Ankara and Brussels. The previous report was released in September.

"As regards the implementation of the Visa Liberalisation Roadmap, there are still seven benchmarks that remain to be met as highlighted in the Third Report of 28 September 2016: issuing biometric travel documents fully compatible with EU standards; adopting the measure to prevent corruption foreseen by the Roadmap; concluding an operational cooperation agreement with Europol; revising legislation and practices on terrorism in line with European standards; aligning legislation on personal data protection with EU standards; offering effective judicial cooperation in criminal matters to all EU Member States; implementing the EU-Turkey Readmission Agreement in all its provisions," the press release said.

The European Commission and Turkey have been engaged in a dialogue to find solutions required to implement the bloc's conditions, the EU body added.

In March, Brussels and Ankara worked out and agreed on a deal, under which Turkey pledged to take back all undocumented migrants that had arrived to the European Union in exchange for Syrian refugees on a one-for-one basis. In return, the European Union pledged to provide a total of 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion at the current exchange rates) to Turkey for dealing with refugees, with a possible further 3 billion-euro provision, accelerate Turkey's EU accession process and introduce a visa-free regime between Turkey and Europe.

In November, the European Parliament voted in favor of freezing EU accession talks with Turkey over concerns about Ankara's post-coup crackdown. However, the vote was non-binding and mostly symbolic, which means it would not be supported by the European Commission. The move has been widely criticized in Ankara.

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