Foreign relations of the European Union

BELGRADE – The European Commission will recommend a conditional visa-free regime introduction between Turkey and the European Union on Wednesday, media reports said Tuesday, citing EU sources. The European Commission will grant a conditional approval of a visa-free regime with Turkey demanding that it improves its record on the freedom of speech, fair judicial practice and

Greek Cypriots will no longer require visas to visit Turkey under an EU-Turkey agreement on visa liberalization, however this does not amount to Turkish recognition of Cyprus, a Turkish official has said. 

A number of Bulgarian-made fake passports with Schengen visas were found in the belongings of jihadist fighters that had been operating in Southern Italy, a local daily says.

A jihadist cell made up mostly of Iraqis and Iranians intended on using the documents to cross into Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway, Sole 24 ore reports citing Italian anti-terror officials.

The forthcoming two days mark a crucial 48 hours for Turkey to come one step closer to having its citizens granted visa-free travel inside the European Union, as part of the Turkey-EU migrant deal reached to curb the flow of migrants into the bloc. 

The distribution of new biometric passports containing chips, which are necessary to travel to Schengen countries, will start on June 1, with the government working on the necessary legal regulations. 

The new passports are among the 72 criteria required by the body for granting visa exemption to Turkish citizens in light of a Turkey-EU migrant deal signed on March 20.

The European Commission believes it is now time to temporarily suspend American and Canadian citizens' right to enter EU states without a visa, given that the two countries don't apply the same facilities to Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and two other EU member states.

EU member states on Friday gave Greece three months to remedy "serious deficiencies" in controlling the migrant influx or effectively face suspension from Europe's Schengen zone of passport-free travel, AFP reported.

EU member states gave Greece a three-month ultimatum to remedy “deficiencies” in controlling the migrant flow or face border controls with the rest of the Schengen passport-free zone.

The mutual trade between the European Union and Turkey may double to $300 billion thanks to coming updates to the Customs Union deal, Turkey's EU Minister and the chief negotiator with the bloc has said. 

"We have a Customs Union relation [with the EU]," Minister Volkan Bozk?r told journalists on the sidelines of official meetings in Paris on Feb. 3.

Italy has no problem with Turkey, Rome's ambassador to Ankara said Jan. 19 after the country was accused of blocking EU funds to help refugees in Turkey.