European Union and Turkey clinch deal to return migrants

EU leaders approved a controversial deal with Turkey, intended to halt illegal migration flows to Europe in return for financial and political rewards for Ankara.

The accord aims to close the main route over which a million migrants and refugees poured across the Aegean Sea to Greece before marching north to Germany and Sweden in the last year. But deep doubts remain about whether it is legal or workable.

After a morning of talks with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, European Council President Donald Tusk recommended that the 28 EU member states approve the text without changes and they rapidly agreed at a summit lunch in Brussels.

"Agreement with Turkey approved. All illegal migrants who arrive to Greece from Turkey starting March 20 will be returned!" Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka tweeted from inside the meeting.

A senior EU official said Davutoglu had indicated Ankara would accept the proposal if the EU leaders approved it. He was expected to join the EU leaders for a formal session soon.

Ankara to take back all illegal migrants who cross to Greece

Under the pact, Ankara would take back all illegal migrants who cross to Greece, including Syrians, in return for the EU taking in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey and rewarding it with more money, early visa-free travel and progress in its EU membership negotiations.

Migrants who arrive in Greece from Sunday will be subject to being sent back to Turkey once they are registered and their asylum claim is processed. A senior Turkish official said the returns would begin on April 4 and resettlement of Syrian refugees in Europe would begin simultaneously.

The EU also agreed to accelerate disbursement of 3 billion euros already pledged in support for refugees in Turkey and to provide a further 3 billion by 2018 once Ankara came up with a list of projects that qualified for EU assistance.

The summit discussions exposed considerable doubts among member states and EU lawyers over whether a deal could be made legal under international law, and human rights groups denounced the planned agreement as a sell-out of European principles.

The EU leaders pressed Ankara to change its rules to extend international standards of protection to non-Syrian migrants, a condition for Greece to be able legally to return asylum seekers to Turkey.

 Full accordance with EU and international law

"All new irregular migrants crossing from Turkey into Greek islands from 20 March, 2016, will be returned to Turkey," the draft joint EU-Turkey statement seen by Reuters said. "This will take place in full accordance with EU and international law, thus excluding any kind of collective expulsion." It did not say whether this would entail changes in Turkish legislation.

Turkey's four-decade-old dispute with Cyprus had been a key stumbling block. Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades insisted there could be no opening of new "chapters" in Turkey's EU talks until Ankara allows Cypriot traffic to its sea and airports - a result of a refusal to recognise the Cypriot state.

But the issue was sidestepped because EU leaders agreed to open a negotiating chapter that was not one of the five blocked by Nicosia. An EU official said they would open chapter 33 on budget policy and accelerate preparations for negotiations in other areas.

(Update: 16:50): According to information, EU leaders are having a working lunch to discuss the revised final proposal presented by Donald Tusk. The same sources claim that if European leaders reach an agreement with Turkey, the proposed plan will take effect as of Sunday evening. According to sources, Turkey agrees with the proposal, therefore the European Council President urges Europe’s leaders to accept it without any changes so as to issue a joint statement afterwards.

Source: Reuters

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report