For the past year, Turkey and the European Union have been engaged in a back and forth over migrants and visa liberalization. On Nov. 9, the European Commission published its yearly assessment of how well Ankara is fulfilling the political and economic criteria for closer relations with the Continental bloc. On the topic of visa liberalization — Turkey's major stipulation on signing the migrant deal — the report praised progress made between May and July but criticized the Turkish crackdown on the opposition since the July 15 coup. The report says that Turkey has undermined human rights and the rule of law. The report also notes that there has been no progress on normalizing bilateral relations between Turkey and Cyprus.

It laid out seven criteria for Ankara to meet before the European Union can allow visa-free travel for Turkish nationals. These are largely the same as those outlined in May. They include passing laws on data protection, reforming counterterrorism policies and shoring up independence of the judiciary. The European Union says that on these three points in particular, Turkey has regressed since the coup. However, the Turkish government insists that its national security situation requires firm measures against terrorism in spite of EU objections.

The report conspicuously omits any solid deadline for visa liberalization. During the November 2015 EU-Turkey summit, the two sides agreed that the measures would be in place by November 2016 if Turkey met all the necessary criteria. This was then moved to June when the EU-Turkey deal was signed on preventing migrants from reaching Greece. The last report, in May, moved this back again to November, laying out conditions for Ankara.

In line with previous declarations, the report concludes that fulfilling the remaining benchmarks is entirely up to the Turkish government. It adds that fulfilling these measures should go hand in hand with fulfilling the Turkish side of the migrant deal. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reacted to the report Nov. 9 during a public address, saying that the European Union must make its final decision on visa liberalization and not simply issue progress reports. Regardless, the European Union is likely to put off making its decision, hoping to avoid — or delay — the breakdown of the critical migrant deal.