Vice President Yılmaz: Three Ministries Working Together to Resolve 6 Key Criteria

Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz announced that the Justice, Interior, and Foreign Affairs ministries have launched joint technical work to overcome the 6 fundamental conditions facing Turkey in its visa exemption process with the EU. Yılmaz noted that the scientific board within the Justice Ministry has placed the Personal Data Protection Law (KVKK) as a priority agenda item.

The new approach to be prepared will be communicated to EU institutions through the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Yılmaz emphasized that the process carries a political dimension beyond technical steps, and that the EU side must also demonstrate a constructive attitude.

Turkey had met 66 of the 72 criteria set by the EU in 2016's visa liberalization roadmap; the remaining 6 criteria, including revision of counter-terrorism legislation and data protection alignment, have remained unresolved for years. A passenger traveling from Istanbul to Frankfurt without a Schengen visa currently faces an average cost of 90 euros and a waiting period of six weeks.