Schengen shell game? EU leaders laud ‘breakthrough’ Turkey refugee deal, Ankara pushes for accession Turkey and the EU have agreed in principle on an Ankara-proposed plan to deport migrants from Greece to Turkey while resettling the same number of Syrian refugees in the EU. In return, the EU has promised Ankara more funding, but not expedited membership. The term “potential breakthrough” was common to many of the statements voiced by EU heads of state German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, UK Prime Minister David Cameron, and European Council President Donald Tusk, after the extended emergency EU meeting over the refugee crisis finally ended early on Tuesday. Tusk hailed the results of the summit, predicting that the “days of irregular migration to Europe are over.” “Turkish PM confirmed Turkey takes back irregular migrants apprehended on Turkish waters,” he wrote on Twitter. “I think we do have the basis for a breakthrough,” Cameron was quoted as saying by Reuters after the EU-Turkey summit in Brussels. Merkel also applauded Ankara’s decision to take back all of the illegal migrants crossing from Turkey to Europe. While saying Turkey’s bid to join the EU was “not on the agenda today,” Merkel pledged to support the visa-free travel regime that Ankara has been seeking if the Turkish government delivers on the proposed deal. Hollande has confirmed that the EU is mulling the possibility of allocating an additional €3 billion for Turkey if the migrant crisis intensifies: “If the question of refugees continues and Turkey must make additional efforts for their re-admission ... then, it’s true, a new grant could be foreseen at the end of 2018.” The French leader also said the deal could save the open-border Schengen zone, which has been restricted by some of the worst-hit European states in reaction to the migrant crisis. However, when commenting on Turkey’s request for visa-free travel for its citizens in the Schengen zone, Hollande stressed that Ankara should first comply with all of the necessary criteria. “Visa liberalization could take place in June if the criteria are respected, there are 72 [of them],” he said. Meanwhile, reports claim that Turkey had initially demanded a great deal more than €3 billion. According to Reuters, Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu reportedly asked for no less than €20 billion during his preliminary meeting with Merkel and her Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte on Sunday, bringing negotiations to a screeching halt. According to the Turkish PM, a visa-free regime between the EU and Turkey could already be established by the end of June. “By the end of June – by the end of the Netherlands’ presidency – we will complete the visa liberalization process,” Davutoglu said, as quoted by TASS. Confirming that the process could be expedited, EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker stressed that “it should in no way compromise the fundamental principles of the EU.” The deal is now set to be finalized on March 17-18 at the next EU summit in Brussels. “We want to prevent waves of refugees, and tragic events in the Aegean Sea,” Davutoglu said earlier after meeting with 28 EU heads of states in Brussels. Hours earlier, 25 migrants drowned off the Turkish coast, en-route to Greece. “With these new proposals, we aim to rescue refugees, discourage those who misuse and exploit their situation, and find a new era in Turkey-EU relations.” On Monday morning, the Turkish politician promised “game-changing ideas” as he headed into the meeting with European leaders keen to close the Balkan route used by more than 800,000 migrants to enter the continent last year. The joint draft produced by the end of the session appeared to have lived up to his pledge. According to document, published by Reuters, “for every Syrian readmitted by Turkey from Greek islands, another Syrian will be resettled from Turkey to the EU member states.” READ MORE: http://on.rt.com/76d1 =========================================== Schengen Permainan petala? pemimpin EU memuji 'kejayaan' Turki perjanjian pelarian, Ankara menolak utk kesertaan Turki & EU tlh bersetuju pd dasarnya pd pelan Ankara-cadangan utk menghantar pulang pendatang dari Greece ke Turki manakala menetapkan semula jumlah yg sama pelarian Syria di Kesatuan Eropah. Sebagai balasan, EU telah berjanji Ankara lebih byk dana, tetapi tdk dipercepatkan keahlian. Istilah "potensi kejayaan" adalah umum kpd penyata disuarakan oleh ketua2 EU State Canselor Jerman Angela Merkel, Presiden Perancis Francois Hollande, Perdana Menteri UK David Cameron, & Presiden Majlis Eropah Donald Tusk, selepas mesyuarat EU kecemasan lanjutan ke atas krisis pelarian akhirnya berakhir awal pd hari Selasa.

• published: 08 Mar 2016
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