EU entices Turkey to stem refugee tide

Country offered billions of euros, streamlined visas

BRUSSELS — Faced with a refugee emergency that is only likely to deepen, European Union leaders moved on Thursday to shore up the bloc’s borders to the outside world and fundamentally reshape the way they deal with asylum seekers.

The leaders also struggled to persuade a reluctant Turkey to do more to stop tens of thousands of refugees entering Greece — offering vast amounts of money, easing visa restrictions for Turkish citizens and accelerating the country’s EU membership talks.

According to draft conclusions seen by The Associated Press, an action plan for Ankara to help it manage the impact of some 2 million refugees will be rapidly implemented, too, and diplomats said that the country could receive several billion euros in additional funds.

But as the leaders met, senior EU officials lashed out at the leaders for failing to live up to past promises of funds and resources.

Thousands of people continue to risk the dangerous journey daily. Greece recovered seven more bodies off the island of Lesbos Thursday after a migrant boat collision, and shivering newcomers streamed into Croatia seeking aid and shelter.

They are just some of the more than 500,000 people fleeing war or poverty to enter Europe this year, most of them via Greece and Italy, overwhelming border authorities and reception facilities. In response, EU leaders promised last month to provide hundreds of millions of euros for Syrian refugees and to help Africa better manage its borders, as well as funding experts to fingerprint and screen new arrivals in Italy and Greece.

But European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said he was still waiting.

“The member states have got to do what they promised to do,” he said. The Commission has complained that only three of 28 nations have pledged a total of just $13.7 million to a fund to help African nations better manage their borders.

The pot is meant to total about $2 billion over two years. The EU’s border agency and asylum office have appealed for a total of around 1,000 officers to help fingerprint people and decide whether they are eligible for asylum.

So far, about a dozen of the 28 EU nations have offered around 130 personnel.

“We can, and must, do much better,” said EU President Donald Tusk, adding that the influx of migrants could get much worse.