The President of the International Transporters Association (UND), Şerafettin Aras, has said that the delays and denials of Schengen visas for Turkish truck drivers are leading to higher costs and damaged trade relationships.
According to him, these delays are also leading to an operational strain on Türkiye’s logistic sectors, Schengen.News.
He said the impact of visa hurdles on Turkish hauliers is profound. Aras told Trans Info that in road transport, the load, truck and driver form an inseparable whole, but visa requirements bring additional difficulties.
He said that drivers are vital to Türkiye’s export to the European Union, which accounts for a significant share of the goods transported to Europe. The President of UND also stressed that fifty per cent of Türkiye’s exports to the European Union are managed by EU-based companies functioning in Türkiye, with Germany accounting for 30 per cent and Italy ten per cent.
Aras also emphasised that visa requirements penalise the bloc itself.
Proposals to Resolve Visa Crisis
Türkiye has continuously called on the EU to reach a visa-free travel agreement as soon as possible. Based on Schengen Visa Statistics, Turkish nationals accounted for the second-largest group of applicants in 2023, with a total of 1,055,885 Schengen visa applications filed.
The International Transporters Association has proposed several measures that would help to resolve the visa crisis, among them:
• Prioritising drivers
• Multi-entry visas issuance
• Easier application process
• Streamlined processing of visas for drivers
The President of the International Transporters Association (UND), Şerafettin Aras, referred to statistics from Eurostat and Türkiye’s Ministry of Trade while talking about the damages that visa requirements bring to both territories.
Aras said that Türkiye exported €95.5 billion worth of goods to the European Union while importing €111.3 billion from the bloc, citing Eurostat. At the same time, according to the statistics from Türkiye’s Ministry of Trade, Türkiye exported €98.04 billion in the bloc and imported goods worth €99.64 billion from the EU in 2023.
Source: https://schengen.news/strict-schengen-visa-rules-for-turkish-truck-operators-are-damaging-trade-relations-und-warns/
