EU OPENS DOOR TO 79M FROM TURKEY
Britain faces fresh infl ux of migrants
FRESH fears for UK bor- ders were raised yesterday as a bid to allow 79 million Turks visa- free access to Europe pushed ahead.
The European Commission confi rmed relaxed entry rules to mainland Europe should take effect in July, after Brit- ain’s EU referendum vote. That could open the door to a surge of migrants targeting Britain.
The plan would allow Turkey’s whole population to enter the passport- free Schengen
zone and stay for up to 90 days out of every 180. Anti- Brussels campaigners say it will make the UK “less secure”.
Critics fear there will be inadequate checks to stop Turks staying beyond 90 days and that opening up the route will entice migrants to Britain.
Ukip leader Nigel Farage said: “This is a huge error of judgment by the European Commission.
“Turkey moves a step closer to EU membership and the British electorate move a large step closer to Brexit.
“Chaos from the beaches of Greece has moved to the corridors of Brussels. The EU has rolled over to the blackmail from President Erdogan.
“Turkey is a country with a terrible human rights record, accused of helping ISIS and mistreating minorities.
“It is too big, too poor, too different from us. Evidently Turkish accession to the EU is drawing closer and the only way for Britain to avoid the consequences is to vote to leave the EU.”
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the Vote Leave referendum pressure group, said: “Brussels wants to create a visa- free zone from Syria to the English Channel. EU immigration is already putting great pressure on public services and our borders.
“Plans to expand the EU to include Turkey and Albania will increase that. We hand Brussels £ 350million a week, money we should spend on our priorities. If we vote to stay we will pay even more in, hand more power over and face the prospect of greater pressure on our borders. The safe option is to Vote Leave on June 23.”
Under the proposals confirmed yesterday, the EU will scrap a requirement for Turks to get a three- month visa to come to Europe’s Schengen zone for tourism or business trips.
Instead, they can stay in any part of the check- free zone for up to 90 days. The maximum over a year would be 180 days. The offer was made in return for an agreement from Turkey to accept the return of thousands of migrants who crossed the Aegean Sea to try to reach Europe.
It will not mean Turkish citizens getting the right to work in Europe or to come to the UK, which is outside the Schengen zone, without a visa.
Frans Timmermans, first vice- president of the European Commission, said the visa deal could still be cancelled if Turkey failed to meet five out of 72 conditions by July.
He said: “There is still work to be done as a matter of urgency but if Turkey sustains the progress made, they can meet the remaining benchmarks. There is no free ride here.”
The Turkish government has threatened to stop accepting returned migrants if the visa deal fails.
EU officials say the migrants agreement has already stemmed the flow of refugees. Only 123 reached Greek islands from Turkey on Tuesday, UN data showed, compared to daily averages of 10,000 in October’s peak.
THE European Commission has said that its plans to give Turkish citizens visa- free access to Europe by the start of July are on track. One Eurocrat warned that the deal could still be cancelled but it would be foolish to hold out much hope of that.
Britain, wisely, is not a member of the Schengen border- free zone. However, granting the right to visa- free travel throughout this area to 77 million Turkish citizens will still have major repercussions for this country.
Port towns are already packed with migrants trying to cross the Channel illegally. Allowing Turkish citizens the freedom to join the camps and shanty towns will only make the situation in places such as Calais and Dunkirk even worse, a blight on the lives of hauliers and a significant inconvenience for holidaymakers.
This policy represents a grave threat to Europe’s safety. Turkey lies next to both Syria and Iraq. Just think of the number of Western jihadists who have exploited these porous borders to complete their journey to Islamic State’s self- declared caliphate. This is a time to be strengthening the border with Turkey, not weakening it.
If Brussels had taken sensible steps to tackle the migrant crisis early on it would never have had to beg the Turkish government for help and never been forced into a dangerous agreement that imperils Europe.
As always we are the ones who will end up paying the price of the EU’s hopeless incompetence.