The EU's point of no return with Turkey

The European Union officially announced on April 20 that if Turkey fulfilled all necessary measures in the next two weeks, the commission would start procedures on May 4 to put Turkey on the EU's visa-free travel list. "I am pleased to say that progress has been made," EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said during a press conference.

Hours before, on his way back to Ankara from Strasbourg, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu was assuring the reporters on board his plane that no problem was left: "My friends, we are going to get visa immunity in June."

Out of 72 topics that the EU asked for from Turkey only six months ago, more than 60 have been completed, according to official sources. The remaining ones will either be brought to parliament to be approved as new legislation or signed by Davuto?lu and his ministers to be put in effect as decrees.

"Nobody in the EU expected that we could work so efficiently and fulfil the criteria," a ranking official told Hürriyet Daily News. "I do not expect any bad surprises. If nothing really big happens in the coming days, I believe we are going to get it." 

Visa-free travel for Turkish citizens is a part of a deal between Turkey and the EU initiated during a visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Istanbul on Oct. 18, 2015. She met with Davuto?lu and President Tayyip Erdo?an for an extensive cooperation in order to stop illegal migration via Turkey into the EU, as triggered by the Syrian civil war and mostly using the Aegean Sea route to embark to Greek islands. 

Ankara had some needs, too, namely sharing the burden of migrants to be hosted by Turkey, reactivation of the membership scheme and visa-free travel for Turkish citizens. Davuto?lu had come up with a...