Politics · Turkey · 3 hrs ago
Turkey drafts data protection changes to advance EU visa-free travel
Turkey has drafted changes to its data protection law as part of its effort to win visa-free travel to the Schengen area.
The proposals address one of six remaining EU conditions for Turkish citizens to travel without visas.
The EU says Turkey’s current rules fall short on privacy safeguards, enforcement and personal data handled by law enforcement agencies.
Officials from Turkey and the European Commission are expected to hold technical talks to assess whether the proposed changes meet EU standards, but the EU has not accepted them as sufficient.
The six outstanding conditions also cover counterterrorism laws, cooperation with Europol, anticorruption measures, judicial cooperation and the return of people who entered the EU irregularly through Turkey.
All six conditions must be met before the EU can move ahead with visa-free travel.
The data protection issue also limits police information-sharing with Europol, including on terrorism suspects and other security threats.
Turkey has drafted changes to its personal data protection law in a renewed effort to secure visa-free travel to the Schengen area.
The changes address one of six outstanding EU requirements for visa liberalization.
Turkish and European Commission officials are expected to hold technical talks to assess whether the proposals could meet EU standards.
The EU has not accepted the proposals as sufficient, and Turkey must fulfill all outstanding benchmarks before visa liberalization can proceed.
The unresolved requirements also include counterterrorism legislation, an agreement with Europol and judicial cooperation with EU member states.
- Who
- Turkey and the European Union are involved, with officials from Turkish ministries and the European Commission expected to hold talks.
- What
- Turkey has drafted data protection law changes as part of its effort to meet EU conditions for visa-free travel.
- When
- The drafting follows an initiative announced in August. The article was published on October 14, 2026.
- Where
- Turkey and the Schengen area; the proposed changes concern Turkish legislation and EU standards.
- Why
- Turkey is seeking to meet the EU’s outstanding visa liberalization requirements, including its data protection benchmark.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The EU and Turkey launched the Visa Liberalization Dialogue with a roadmap of 72 benchmarks.
Turkey fulfilled 65 benchmarks.
Turkey fulfilled one more benchmark, leaving six unresolved.
Turkey amended its data protection law, including provisions on sensitive personal data and transfers abroad.
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz announced an initiative to coordinate work on the remaining conditions.
Turkish Minute reported that Turkey had drafted further data protection changes and that technical talks were expected soon.
- Visa liberalization roadmap
- 72 benchmarks
- Benchmarks fulfilled by Turkey
- 66
- Outstanding benchmarks
- 6
- Schengen applications in Turkey in 2025
- 1,268,376
- Rejected applications in 2025
- 183,196
- Reported refusal rate
- 14.6 percent in 2025, compared with 9.7 percent in 2019
What people are saying
We have long been sending the message that we are ready to work with Turkey to help it meet the criteria. We welcome the fact that steps are beginning to be taken after a long period of inactivity.