EU offers Turkey more cash to keep migrants
Ankara could also be in line for fast-track membership of the European Union and visa-free travel for citizens
The European Union may be prepared to offer Turkey more money to keep migrants out of Europe, as Germany and four other EU countries agreed to take in refugee children from Greek camps. After meeting Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, suggested yesterday that the EU was ready to pay Ankara more than the €6billion it pledged in 2016 as part of a controversial Eu-turkey migrant deal.
THE European Union is prepared to offer Turkey more money to keep migrants out of Europe, as Germany and four other EU countries agreed to take in refugee children from Greek camps.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, suggested yesterday that the EU was ready to pay Ankara more than the €6 billion (£5.2 billion) it pledged in 2016 as part of the controversial Eu-turkey migrant deal.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, met with Mrs von der Leyen and Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, for testy talks lasting about 90 minutes.
After the meeting, Mrs von der Leyen said that the EU and Turkey would go through the whole Eu-turkey agreement, which she insisted remained valid, to “identify” and “implement the missing pieces”.
“Migrants needs support, Greece needs support but also Turkey needs support. This involves finding a path forward with Turkey,” she said.
“We have expressed very clearly to President Erdogan our intention to move forward,” she added at a press conference the Turkish president left without attending, “provided this is reciprocal”.
Turkey which hosts almost four million migrants and refugees, accuses the EU of falling short of its migrant deal commitments. A Turkish official said talks would centre on a possible revision of the agreement.
The deal called for Turkey to halt the flow of Europe-bound migrants and refugees in exchange for up to 6 billion euros in aid for Syrian refugees on its territory, fast-track EU membership and visa-free travel to Europe for Turkish citizens.
Mr Michel said Josep Borrell, the EU’S foreign affairs chief, and his Turkish counterpart would meet with their officials and experts to “clarify the implementation of the deal to be certain we are on the same page.”
About 35,000 migrants massed on Turkey’s border with Greece after Mr Erdogan said on Feb 28 that Ankara would no longer stop migrants crossing into the EU. “It was the Turkish president who said the European borders were open. They were not open, they are not open,” Mrs von der Leyen said.
“Finding a solution to this situation will require relieving pressure put on the border,” she added. “It will require supporting both Greece and Turkey, with the pressure they are under.
“We acknowledge the fact that Turkey is doing a great deal, looking after millions of refugees,” she said.
“We [also] need to talk very clearly that what happened last weekend cannot happen again.”
Turkey, which hosts almost four million migrants and refugees, has accused the EU of failing in its commitment to the migrant deal. A Turkish official said talks would centre on possibly revising the agreement.
The deal called for Turkey to halt the flow of Europe-bound migrants in exchange for up to €6billion in aid for Syrian refugees on its territory, fasttrack EU membership and visa-free travel to Europe for Turkish citizens.
“It is beyond reason and understanding that an ally and a neighbouring country points toward Turkey as the one responsible for the wave of irregular migration,” Mr Erdogan said before the meeting in a thinly veiled attack on Greece. “We aren’t going to allow this country to use the current situation and use the EU in order to obtain unjust gains for itself.”
Yesterday, the German government said the EU was considering taking in between 1,000 and 1,500 unaccompanied children in Greek camps. Mrs von der Leyen said that France, Portugal, Germany, Luxembourg and Finland had joined a “coalition of the willing”.
‘Finding a solution to this situation will require relieving pressure put on the border’