WRITTEN QUESTION E-1210/00

by Ioannis Marínos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(14 April 2000)

Subject: Turkish illegal immigrants

The European Council meeting in Helsinki last December declared Turkey to be a candidate State destined to join the Union. For many years, however, Turkey has pursued a policy of not controlling or even encouraging the illegal migration of Turkish citizens to European countries, which creates problems in Member States bordering Turkey, particularly Greece which receives large numbers of illegal immigrants, primarily across its extensive sea borders to the east.

Recently, the entire problem has also become particularly pressing for countries applying for membership of the Union, which are being compelled to adopt measures to restrict the illegal immigration of Turkish nationals into their territory.

For example, the Commission's Regular Report on Slovenia published on 13 October 1999 states (page 50) that Slovenia was compelled to reintroduce visas from 1 December 1999 for Turkish citizens wishing to visit the country owing to the volume of illegal immigrants from Turkey arriving on its territory.

Has the Commission considered the question of the mass illegal immigration of Turkish citizens into the Member States and the applicant countries? What is the official position of Turkey and what monitoring mechanisms have been developed to establish whether Turkey is complying with its commitments?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(14 June 2000)

The Commission is closely following the problem of illegal immigration from Turkey into the Union. Turkey is both a country of origin and a transit country for illegal immigrants from neighbouring areas (e.g. Northern Iraq and Iran) as well as more distant third countries (e.g. Bangladesh, Pakistan). Member States' analysis and intelligence have confirmed that one of the main routes for illegal immigration into the Union passes through Turkey.

Most of the transit migrants enter Turkey without valid documentation and with the help of internationally operating facilitator networks who provide the necessary services by procuring documents, supplying couriers, planning routes and arranging accommodation for stopovers. In many cases, bribery is involved. Most of the transit migrants chose Turkey as transit country mainly because of its advantageous geographical position, its liberal immigration regulations and the availability of transport to it.

The continuing flow of illegal immigrants, mainly travelling on false or falsified documents, has prompted the Member States' decision to take effective countermeasures and to enhance co-operation with Turkey on the fight against illegal immigration. The Union initiatives launched to this end include the Union action plan on Iraq and the neighbouring region, adopted by the Council on 11 October 1999, in the implementation of which Turkey plays a very prominent role. When implementing this plan, the Member States agreed to examine means of support to assist Turkey in the improvement of conditions for detaining illegal immigrants prior to removal, to exchange experience on formulation of laws on illegal immigration, to examine the scope for exchange of expertise on the detention of false documents, including possible technical assistance and Community funding, to ensure feedback, at a bilateral level, to Turkey on operational information involving illegal immigration, in particular where trafficking is involved, to liaise with the United Nations High Commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) in examining ways of ensuring the proper screening of asylum-seekers, and to consider means of assistance for this purpose, in particular by providing training to Turkish border police in the screening of asylum seekers. Further a joint German and Dutch pilot project, conducted in 1999, established at Istanbul airport a round-the-clock document adviser bureau.

As a result of an evaluation visit of Union immigration experts to Turkey in May 1999 it was proposed, in February 2000, to provide to Turkey specific training and assistance in the form of technical aids for checking the authenticity of travel documents in order to detect false or falsified travel documents and to curb illegal immigration into Western European countries. A meeting with Turkish senior officials in Helsinki, on 26 November 1999, on justice and home affairs issues discussed illegal immigration and repatriation of illegally residing persons. A study was launched in 1999, with a seminar held in Brussels in March 2000, on Turkey as transit country and country of illegal immigration. Moreover, in the framework of the Odysseus programme 2000, the Commission will seek to select projects involving practical co-operation with Turkey in the field of asylum, migration and the crossing of external borders.

In accordance with the conclusions of the 1999 Helsinki European Council, an accession partnership will be drawn up with Turkey on the basis of previous European Council conclusions while containing priorities on which accession preparations must concentrate in the light of the political and economic criteria and the obligations of a Member State, combined with a national programme for the adoption of the acquis. Appropriate monitoring mechanisms will be established.