Turkey-EU visa deadlock fuels black market, corruption; no progress on liberalization

Turkey remains the only EU candidate country without visa-free travel, a long-standing grievance that has spawned a black market in visa appointments and alleged corruption. The article highlights systemic issues in visa processing, including bot-driven appointment hoarding and privatization of services, leading to millions in losses. This continues a known pattern of strained Turkey-EU relations, with no immediate policy shift indicated.