"As regards the implementation of the Visa Liberalisation Roadmap, there are still seven benchmarks that remain to be met as highlighted in the Third Report of 28 September 2016: issuing biometric travel documents fully compatible with EU standards; adopting the measure to prevent corruption foreseen by the Roadmap; concluding an operational cooperation agreement with Europol; revising legislation and practices on terrorism in line with European standards; aligning legislation on personal data protection with EU standards; offering effective judicial cooperation in criminal matters to all EU Member States; implementing the EU-Turkey Readmission Agreement in all its provisions," the press release said.
The European Commission and Turkey have been engaged in a dialogue to find solutions required to implement the bloc's conditions, the EU body added.
In March, Brussels and Ankara worked out and agreed on a deal, under which Turkey pledged to take back all undocumented migrants that had arrived to the European Union in exchange for Syrian refugees on a one-for-one basis. In return, the European Union pledged to provide a total of 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion at the current exchange rates) to Turkey for dealing with refugees, with a possible further 3 billion-euro provision, accelerate Turkey's EU accession process and introduce a visa-free regime between Turkey and Europe.
In November, the European Parliament voted in favor of freezing EU accession talks with Turkey over concerns about Ankara's post-coup crackdown. However, the vote was non-binding and mostly symbolic, which means it would not be supported by the European Commission. The move has been widely criticized in Ankara.
