EU 'waiting for Turkey to tackle' remaining issues with regards to visa-free regime

Mühdan Sağlam / DUVAR

Christian Berger, outgoing head of the EU Delegation to Turkey, has said that the European Union wants a democratic Turkey and the accession into the bloc is a long process.

“I understand Turkey's disappointment [regarding the accession process], but we are talking about a long process here. Let me tell you this: It took many years for my own country Austria, which is in the middle of Europe, to enter the EU. I am well aware that Turkey is a very energetic, fast-moving country, but this process is a long-termed relationship,” Berger told Gazete Duvar in an exclusive interview.

Berger said although it does not seem that Turkey's accession into the bloc will happen anytime soon, the country has taken many important steps regarding this process, one of which is the Turkish products' alignment with the EU standards.

“I would like to share with you an example that I have experienced. In a visit to Trabzon, we went to a food company. The owner of the company told us, 'We are not just taking money from you, but also we are adopting your existing standards. These standards make us more competitive both in Europe and the world.' So, compliance between Turkey and Europe is important,” he said.

Asked if Turkey will be accepted into the EU, Berger said that there are many “political issues” that need to be tackled. “The superiority of law is a very important concept for us. This is in fact what bonds the EU, the member countries with each other; not food, language or culture, but the superiority of law,” he said, emphasizing the importance of the process of fair trial.

Berger also commented on the dialogue between Turkey and the EU regarding a visa-free regime. He said that although Ankara has met a majority of the EU's requirements for visa liberation, a couple of remaining criteria continue to remain challenging hurdles that the Turkish government needs to tackle.

“There are a couple of difficult criteria. The Turkish ministries are working on them. They need to tell us how they these issues will be solved. We are here, so the process is still continuing, but there are issues that need to be addressed on the Turkish side,” he said.

Gazete Duvar also asked Berger to summarize his four-year-long term in Turkey. “If you want to me summarize it with a sentence, we have gone through many difficulties, but many opportunities have similarly arisen to overcome some of the problems. It seems to me that the coronavirus has shown the importance of solidarity between countries. For example, European Green Deal and the digital transformation of the economy,” Berger said.

“In this sense, I think Turkey should be proud of itself. We should not only focus on negative issues, because there are also positive steps that we have together taken in order to solve and tackle our problems,” he said.