Visa requirement for Turks a scandal

A former deputy at the European Parliament (EP) and a member of the Social Democrat Party (SPD) in Germany, Karin Jons, on Thursday said that visa requirement for Turks in the European Union (EU) was "a scandal" and that such an implementation had to end as Turkey was a prospective EU member. Speaking at a meeting on Turkey-EU relations organized by the Turkish-German Society of Bremen, Jons said that Turkey's EU process continued very slowly due to vetoes on the opening of various chapters to negotiations. Turkey has made great progress on the way to the EU but it is not sufficient. The EU attaches high importance to independent judiciary and freedom of expression. There is slow progress in Turkey in these areas, Jons noted. Criticizing the EU's visa requirement for Turkish citizens, Jons said that such a requirement was nothing but a scandal.