EU Parliament set to debate on no visa law for Turkey

EU lawmakers will discuss whether to allow Turkish citizens to travel throughout Europe without any visa.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (L) and European Council President Donald Tusk attend a news conference after a EU-Turkey summit in Brussels, Belgium November 29, 2015.
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Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (L) and European Council President Donald Tusk attend a news conference after a EU-Turkey summit in Brussels, Belgium November 29, 2015.

The European Parliament on Wednesday will discuss the EU Commission's proposal of lifting visa requirements for Turkish citizens.

Reports indicate that Turkey had postponed Friday's meeting with the EU in Brussels.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Volkan Bozkir will attend the meeting, which has been postponed for a month, according to sources close to EU officials.

The reason for the delay is an emergency congress of Turkey's governing AK Party due to a shift in the country's leadership.

On May 4, the EU Commission proposed to the Council of European Union and European Parliament to lift visa requirements for Turkish citizens, after the country showed progress of completing 72 criteria over the meeting requirements.

The move was welcomed by Ankara and millions of Turkish citizens who have been eagerly waiting to travel to Schengen zone countries without visa requirements.

Serdar Karaca, a 28-year-old teacher, said that he's very excited to see Europe since he hasn't travelled to countries in the Schengen zone due to visa requirements.

"My first destination will be Venice after [the] EU lifts [its] visa barrier. My wife and I always wanted to see the city. It will be [a] nice trip," said Karaca.

Although many Turkish citizens are hopeful over the deal between Turkey and the EU, there are still plenty of people who are sceptical over the 28-nation bloc allowing Turks to travel freely within the Schengen zone.

Another citizen, Canan Sevinc, a 31-year-old social media advisor, said that people should have freedom to travel.

"It is a great opportunity for Turks," said Sevinc. However, she added "I don't believe the EU will let Turkish citizens to travel without visa barriers."

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