The European Commission has said that Turkey has failed to meet the conditions required for the country to obtain visa-free travel in Europe for Turkish citizens.
Turkey missed the EU’s deadline for meeting all 72 detailed conditions set by the EU on border security, counter-terrorism legislation and fundamental human rights.
It is, however, believed that Turkey has met 65 conditions, but the toughest are the ones that remain.
As part of a controversial deal to stem the flow of migrants into Europe, EU leaders had said that in return 79 million Turks could have access of the Schengen area (26 countries excluding the UK and Ireland) by June.
But this invitation to visa-free travel was conditional on Turkish compliance with all the conditions the EU set.
In a statement the EU commission said progress on the EU-Turkey deal was fragile.
It is now speculated that no decision is likely before October.
A number of countries have reservations about visa-free travel for Turks but, at the same time, since the migration deal was reached in March, migrant numbers reaching Greece have dropped significantly. Fewer than 50 people a day on average chanced the treacherous Aegean in May compared to as many as 2,000 a day earlier this year.
Threadbare Greece is still struggling to cope, however. An estimated 50,000 migrants are on the Greek mainland and an additional 7,000 or more are in camps on the islands. All are waiting to have their cases assessed.
The visa deal is a completely separate matter from the question of Turkish membership of the EU. Despite membership talks having started in 2005, only one of the 35 “chapters” has been closed. A number of others are stalled over the long-running dispute with Cyprus.
The EU considers that Turkey of late has regressed on key issues such as freedom of expression and the rule of law.
The EU ambassador to Turkey, appointed only last August, handed in his resignation this week, after being accused of showing disrespect for Turkish national values and the Turkish president.
