Suchergebnisse

In June 2012 the European Commission received the backing of the member states to launch a visa liberalisation process with Turkey in exchange for a readmission agreement that obliges Ankara to take back illegal immigrants who passed through Turkey as a transit country. This is remarkable in view of the rejection by several member states of the perspective of a visa free travel for Turks. My process tracing analysis suggests that the key to explaining this development is the argumentative strength of the European Commission, stemming from the necessity to cooperate with Turkey on migration and the norms of procedures, set in previous readmission negotiations, as well as the coalition between the Commission and the Danish Council Presidency . The article further explores which conditions Turkey now needs to fulfil for the visa waiver of its citizens. Adapted from the source document.

In January 2011, the European Commission and the Turkish government announced an agreement that obliges Turkey to take back illegal immigrants who have used Turkey as a transit country on their way to the European Union (EU). Thus, Turkey would fulfil a costly EU demand with no guarantee of the reward of EU membership. The key to understanding the new readiness of the AKP government for a readmission agreement after several years of unsuccessful negotiations is the agency of the European Commission. Its offer of a visa liberalization dialogue in exchange for a readmission agreement, despite the opposition of some member states to such an approach in the case of Turkey, has strongly influenced the cost-benefit calculation of the AKP government. In addition to this external incentive, the new salience of migration issues on the domestic agenda has facilitated the engagement of the Turkish government in readmission negotiations. Adapted from the source document.

Concerns over a possible brain drain and a failed integration policy have been raised by the emigration of qualified persons of Turkish origin. However, there is little reliable data available regarding the profile and the motivations for this in the Germany-trained workforce. In order to explore the relative importance of different migration motivations, an online survey (n = 128) and interviews with selected respondents were conducted. The main finding is that family-related reasons are the most important factor in emigration to Turkey. In contrast, a negative career outlook and/or experience of discrimination in Germany, highlighted in public discourse, played only a secondary or even tertiary role. Instead, motivations for emigration of persons with and without a migration background are often similar, reflecting the increased mobility in a globalised world -- a factor confirmed by the fact that a significant number of respondents expressed an intention to return to Germany. Adapted from the source document.