Turkey's TOBB slams EU's visa policy

"What kind of a customs union is this? Goods are free to move but there is visa requirement on people who trade them and there is quota on trucks that carry them," Rifat Hisarciklioglu, chairman of Turkey's Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), told Monday an Istanbul meeting of an association of more 1200 European chambers of commerce and industry.

EU-hopeful Turkey signed in December 1995 an agreement with the Union to form a customs union without any restrictions to products other than agricultural products, as well as coal and steel products.

Hisarciklioglu said he considered EU's visa policy as the major problem between Turkey and the Union, adding that Turkey had no say in EU's free trade agreements conduct with third countries.

TOBB head said that Turkish business circles were making all their preparations as if Turkey would become a full EU member by 2013, calling for the continuation of the Union's enlargement process.

Turkey was given the status of a candidate country and membership negotiations started in 2005.

/World Bulletin/