I'm back from my vacation with great news. A European court did what European politicians have not been doing for decades: Coming closer to Turkey by giving back Turkish people their historical, legal rights as a European nation!
The Court of Justice of the European Communities (EJC) concluded the historical case and it decided that UK and other EU countries cannot apply visa and residence permit obligations to Turkish citizens who are self-employed.
The court decision, which also protects the same right of Turkish students and academicians, is binding and every member country will have to take this decision into consideration.
5 years ago, I was in a university class and I had asked my International Law professor Bakir Caglar (a prominent European Law expert, a well-known ECHR attorney and former Constitutional Law lecturer of Istanbul University) if the 1963 Ankara Agreement between Turkey and European Economic Community is still valid or not. He had told that the agreement and the additional protocol of 1973 is still valid and it exempts Turkish citizens who can prove that they can be self-employed, from visa obligations. He also advised us to apply to European courts and protect our given rights.
Recently, two Turkish asylum seekers in UK did it, while I couldn't apply to any court to protect my legal right personally and I paid lots of money to EU countries who demanded it for visa procedures, as well as wasting my time with such "illegal obligations". The court decision now also opened the way to refund visa fees that you paid in the past, thanks to those two resolute plaintiffs.
Abolish the Visa for Turks
For decades, European countries have been trying to curb rights of Turks shamefully as most of their politicians' minds were busy with excluding Turkey, not integrating it. Now the time comes that nobody can do anything against the ultimatum of the law.
Soon, all EU countries would probably be fed up with such cases and their defamatory and costful effects. I expect them to abolish visa obligations for hundreds of thousands of Turkish citizens (mainly businessmen, academicians and students) soon. When I asked during an interview, Olli Rehn had also signalled that the visa regime can be altered soon after both parties negotiate.
Flood Gates or Gates of Happiness?
It is said that UK Home Office feared that the “flood gates” would open into Europe, but it is wrong. It is a great day to celebrate for all of us, because the finally-justified-right-of-free-movement for all European peoples would make us closer at the end of the day.
September 12nd is both the day when ECJ Advocate General gave his positive opinion about 2006 case and also the day that 1963 Ankara Agreement was signed. This day should be celebrated as the "EU-Turkey Day."
