European Union readmission agreements for tackling irregular migration in the context of conditionality and reflections on Turkey

As Europe is an attractive destination country, irregular migration causes constant problems for Europe, so it has always remained on the agenda of Europe. When this situation turned out to be an unresolved problem with the national policies of European countries, it required to create common migration policies on the European Union level, and to cooperate coherently with the origin and transit countries that have high potential of irregular migrants. European Union with the policy of conditionality, by exporting the values of common migration policy, aimed that these countries carry out reforms on their national policy and regulations in accordance with mentioned values. Within the context of conditionality policy, Europe provided rewards for these countries. The countries in case of being successful in reforms are awarded with (carrot), but the countries not successful in reforms are sanctioned with (stick). Conditionality principle also became effective in the process of signing readmission agreement with origin and transit countries that is one of the most efficient method for Europe to fight with irregular migration. To persuade these origin and transit countries to sit down at the negotiation table for readmission agreement and to accelarate the process of signature, Europe within the framework of conditionality policy, proposed visa facilitation and liberalisation agreements as a reward to these countries. Association of readmission agreement with visa facilitation and visa liberalisation agreements brought successful results in many countries, especially in West Balkan States whereas the situation is not the same for Turkey. Although Turkey is an important origin and transit country because of its geographical location, Europe, in the process of signing readmission agreement get out of the standardised implementation and has not provided the reward that was promised in return for the reforms that Turkey applied.