I have been continuously on the fence about the referendum, perhaps most recently I would vote to stay. Everytime I think I have come to a decision though, I read something new that concerns me and puts me straight back on the fence. Today I read an article in Der Spiegel that alarmed me. It looks like the EU (well, let's be honest - Merkel) may well grant visa-free travel to Turkish citizens despite the fact that Turkey won't meet EU conditions (including the fact that their passports and paperwork are not up to EU standards - so fraud will be a VERY REAL issue.)
It has come down to this apparently, Erdogan get's visa-free travel or he will sink the refugee deal. Simple as that. Which way do think the EU (Merkel) will go? I'm not optimistic. Honestly, does this not concern you regarding our future in the EU?
"...Gareth Jenkins, a prominent British expert on Turkey, believes that a substantial number of Turks would come to Europe and either apply for asylum or disappear into the underground economy, especially in Germany and the Netherlands, where so many Turks have relatives. There are already 400,000 internally displaced refugees within the Kurdish regions of Turkey as a result of the civil war-like conditions there. Many are dirt poor, Jenkins says, "but whether by finding it themselves or borrowing it from others, even they would be able to find enough money to get a passport and pay the 70 to 80 it costs for a one-way flight on a budget airline from Turkey to Germany..."
www.spiegel.de/international/europe/europe-at-pains-over-visa-free-travel-for-turks-a-1090040.html