EU to propose visa-free travel for Turkey on May 4

The European Union's executive said on Wednesday it will propose on May 4 granting Turkish citizens visa-free travel to the bloc from late June in a deal under which it is to stop irregular refugee flux into Europe - provided Ankara meets the remaining conditions.

A first European Commission report on implementation of last month's EU-Turkey agreement said good progress had been made but more resources and commitments were needed to carry out sustained returns of refugees from Greece to Turkey and to resettle Syrian refugees from Turkey directly to Europe.

The Commission did not say how many of the 72 benchmarks for visa liberalisation Turkey has yet to complete but it pointed to several areas where work remains to be done.

They include reducing a backlog of asylum applications, granting all refugees legal access to the labour market, strengthening visa requirements for countries that pose a high migration risk, taking necessary steps to protect fundamental rights and ending discrimination against citizens of EU member state Greek Cypriot, which Turkey does not recognise.

Migration Commission Dimitris Avramopoulos, speaking to reporters, declined to say how many benchmarks Turkey now met but stressed that Ankara's compliance was improving by the day.

"It's not a question of number, it's how quickly the process is going on," he said, while repeating the Commission's position that there could be no liberalisation until all conditions were fulfilled. "I believe that at the end, if we continue working like this, most of the benchmarks will be met."

The EU executive also urged Ankara to improve readmission of Turkish nationals who overstay in Europe and are expelled, and of third country nationals from all EU member states, so that an EU-Turkey Readmission Agreement is fully effective from June 1.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Tuesday that Ankara was fulfilling all the terms of the EU deal and if the Europeans did not meet their part, Turkey would stop applying its side of the bargain.

"The Commission will present its third visa liberalisation progress report for Turkey on May 4 and if Turkey takes the necessary measures to fulfil the remaining benchmarks, the report will be accompanied by a legislative proposal for transferring Turkey to the visa-free list," the report said.

Separately, the Commission proposed easing visa requirements for Ukrainians, something it had promised for months as part of efforts to help Kiev in its confrontation with Russia. Avramopoulos said he hoped member states and lawmakers would endorse the proposals "very, very soon."

Addressing concerns about immigration similar to those raised by the offer to Turkey, the Commission statement stressed that Ukrainians would not have a right to work in the EU.