European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans, EU Council President Donald Tusk, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L-R) attend a news conference after visiting Nizip refugee camp near Gaziantep, Turkey , April 23, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The deputy head of the European Commission insisted on Thursday that the EU executive would not lower its standards to offer visa-free travel to Turks in exchange for Turkey's help in preventing migrants reaching Europe from its shores.
"We will not play around with those benchmarks," First Vice President Frans Timmermans told the European Parliament, referring to 72 criteria Turkey must meet if its citizens are to be allowed to travel to the EU without obtaining a visa first.
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