EU outlines plan to save open borders, cajoles Turkey

Published March 5, 2016
ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) meeting European Council President Donald Tusk on Friday. ─ Reuters
ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) meeting European Council President Donald Tusk on Friday. ─ Reuters

BRUSSELS/ISTANBUL: The European Commission set out a timetable on Friday for restoring open borders in Europe by the end of the year as EU leaders cajoled Turkey to act to stop the flow of migrants fleeing conflicts in the Middle East and beyond.

Ahead of an emergency European Union summit with Turkey on Monday, the EU executive announced the first payouts from a 3 billion euro ($3.3 billion) fund to help it cope with the roughly 2.5 million Syrian migrants on Turkish soil.

It also said Turkey was making progress towards achieving eagerly sought visa liberalisation for its citizens in the EU.

In return, Brussels is demanding that Ankara crack down on people smuggling and take back all illegal migrants who do not qualify for asylum in the 28-nation EU.

Meeting in Paris, the leaders of Germany and France agreed that refugees fleeing war in Syria should stay in the region and said their common objective was to put Europe’s frayed Schengen passport-free travel agreement back into operation.

“Our efforts are not done yet,” Chancellor Angela Merkel told a joint news conference with President Francois Hollande. “I understand that Turkey also expects Europe to deliver.” Merkel pressed for Monday’s summit with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in an effort to show results before three regional elections on March 13 in which her conservatives face losses to the anti-migration Alternative for Germany party.

EU head Donald Tusk met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for talks to tackle the migrant crisis, as new figures showed a record 1.2 million asylum seekers reached the bloc in 2015.

The EU president — who has said the numbers arriving from Turkey are “far too high” — was to push Erdogan for more intensive help in handling the crisis, after bluntly warning economic migrants to stay away from Europe.

The “roadmap” includes quickly creating an EU coastguard system and strengthening Greece’s external border, the main point of entry for refugees and migrants fleeing war, persecution and poverty in the Middle East and beyond.

As the diplomatic efforts went into high gear ahead of a March 7 summit between the EU and Turkey, the human misery along the Greek-Macedonia border worsened after a night of driving rain and plummeting temperatures.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2016

Opinion

Editorial

Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...
Islamabad protest
Updated 20 Nov, 2024

Islamabad protest

As Nov 24 draws nearer, both the PTI and the Islamabad administration must remain wary and keep within the limits of reason and the law.
PIA uncertainty
20 Nov, 2024

PIA uncertainty

THE failed attempt to privatise the national flag carrier late last month has led to a fierce debate around the...
T20 disappointment
20 Nov, 2024

T20 disappointment

AFTER experiencing the historic high of the One-day International series triumph against Australia, Pakistan came...