In this visit to the European Parliament, IKV Chairman Zeytinoğlu was accompanied by Vice-Chairman Prof. Halûk Kabaalioğlu, Members of the Board of Directors Ilhan Soylu and Mustafa Içöz, Secretary-General Assoc. Prof. Ciğdem Nas, Brussels Representative Haluk Nuray and Project Director Çisel Ileri.

IKV Delegation met representatives of the cabinet of the President of the European Parliament and then discussed the current situation in Turkey-EU relations with Turkey Rapporteur Kati Piri. In these meetings, EU-Turkey relations, the visa liberalisation dialogue and the migration crisis were the main topics approached.

IKV Chairman Zeytinoğlu firstly mentioned the importance of the visa liberalisation process which will enable Turkish citizens to gain the right to travel visa-free in Europe. He also touched upon the need for a modernised Customs Union between Turkey and the EU, with its scope extended to new areas such as agriculture, services and public procurement. He also stressed that with the modernisation of the Customs Union, it is essential to overcome the problems encountered by Turkey caused by the application of transport quotas, to its absence in the negotiation of free trade agreements by the EU with third country and in the decision-making process. IKV Chairman Zeytinoğlu also pointed out to the importance for Turkey to be integrated in the TTIP process.

IKV Vice-Chairman Prof. Kabaalioğlu reminded that the ongoing situation regarding visa requirements goes in contradiction with international law: While goods can travel freely to Europe by way of  the Custom Union, the businessmen who produce and sell them cannot freely move across Europe because of the visa barrier. Additionally, he also emphasised that the Custom Union was supposed to be the last step leading to accession and that its current form is obsolete for a country which represents the 6^th European economy.

IKV Delegation has met several Members of the European Parliament from the Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee and the informal group “Friends of Turkey” as well as several political advisors, with the aim of exchanging views on the current state of play in Turkey-EU relations. Shadow Rapporteurs on Turkey Takis Hadjigeorgiou (GUE-NGL) and Bodil Valero (Greens) along with Costas Mavrides (S&D) and Ismail Ertuğ (S&D) were also present at the meeting. The accession process, visa liberalisation, the refugee crisis, the revision of the Custom Union and the impact of TTIP on Turkey were the main topics discussed during this meeting.

This was also the occasion to officially launch the third edition of the “European Parliamentarians and Turkish Civil Society: Dialogue for Better Understanding Each Other”, a project started in 2008 to create a platform of exchange between Turkish civil society and Members of the European Parliament, with a view to overcome prejudices and misconceptions about the EU and Turkey.

Lastly, IKV Delegation met with Members of the Parliament, Renate Sommer (EPP) and Alexander Graf Lambsdorff (ALDE) who are both Shadow Rapporteurs on Turkey. Sommer observed that there is an absolute need for closer cooperation between Turkey and the EU. Lambsdorff pointed out that Turkey’s accession to the EU has been a very complicated process compared to that of other countries. In this respect, he explained that Turkey has its own domestic and international problems and that the public opinion in the EU in regards to Turkey is currently negative. Nevertheless, he stressed that it is of great importance for both parties to maintain a close, continuous dialogue and create new mechanisms of collaboration. Finally, Lambsdorff stressed the fact that the potentiality of a Brexit will be central in the close future and that this represents an important development in the EU which would also affect Turkey-EU relations.