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| Migrant crisis: EU leaders meet with focus on Turkey | Migrant crisis: EU leaders meet with focus on Turkey |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| European leaders are to discuss measures to ease the region's migration crisis, with Turkey the focus of their efforts in Brussels. | European leaders are to discuss measures to ease the region's migration crisis, with Turkey the focus of their efforts in Brussels. |
| Nearly 600,000 migrants have reached the EU by sea so far this year. | Nearly 600,000 migrants have reached the EU by sea so far this year. |
| Turkey is hosting some two million migrants, most of them fleeing the war in neighbouring Syria. | Turkey is hosting some two million migrants, most of them fleeing the war in neighbouring Syria. |
| Ahead of the summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed the need for a joint EU effort to tackle the crisis and said Turkey played a "key role". | Ahead of the summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed the need for a joint EU effort to tackle the crisis and said Turkey played a "key role". |
| "Most war refugees that come to Europe travel via Turkey. We won't be able to order and stem the refugee movement without working together with Turkey," she told the German parliament on Thursday morning. | "Most war refugees that come to Europe travel via Turkey. We won't be able to order and stem the refugee movement without working together with Turkey," she told the German parliament on Thursday morning. |
| BBC Europe correspondent Chris Morris says most EU leaders are convinced that efforts to contain the migration crisis will not succeed without closer co-operation with the Turkish government. | BBC Europe correspondent Chris Morris says most EU leaders are convinced that efforts to contain the migration crisis will not succeed without closer co-operation with the Turkish government. |
| But, he adds, Ankara wants plenty in return - more financial aid to ease the strain of hosting refugees, as well as visa liberalisation and progress on Turkey's stalled application for EU membership. | But, he adds, Ankara wants plenty in return - more financial aid to ease the strain of hosting refugees, as well as visa liberalisation and progress on Turkey's stalled application for EU membership. |
| Analysis: Ed Thomas, BBC News, Athens | |
| More than 400,000 migrants and refugees have crossed the Aegean Sea this year, hundreds have drowned. But the seas are getting rougher and many in Greece are looking to EU leaders to find a solution. | |
| One idea mentioned in Germany was for joint patrols by the Turkish and Greek coastguards. But all this received a loud and clear "no" from the Greek government. | |
| Sovereignty is key. The message from Athens is that the islands of the Aegean belong to the Greeks and it is down to them to patrol the waters no-one else. | |
| The fear in Athens is that if Turkey is allowed to patrol the waters around the Greek islands, boundaries will blur and Ankara will stake new claims to islands that sit close to the Turkish coast. | |
| Instead Greece wants Turkey to patrol its shores better, and even stop migrants leaving in the first place. | |
| In return Athens believes the EU should offer big financial incentives and rewards to Turkey so it can improve the accommodation and build more refugee camps. | |
| The pull of Europe: Five migrant stories | |
| The 28 EU leaders meeting in Brussels are hoping the Turkish government will sign up to a joint action plan that includes: | |
| Turkey is expected to press for progress towards visa-free travel for its citizens to European countries within the so-called Schengen area. | |
| The Turkish government has also called for the establishment of a safe zone for refugees in northern Syria - a move opposed by both the Syrian government and its ally, Russia. | |
| European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans is in Turkey to discuss the crisis. "The EU needs Turkey and Turkey needs the EU," he said. | |
| Analysis: Katya Adler, BBC Europe editor, Hamburg | |
| Mrs Merkel's nickname is Mutti, or Mummy. Election after election, Germans have put their trust in her to decide what's best for them. She's seen as key in making Germany the success story it is today. | Mrs Merkel's nickname is Mutti, or Mummy. Election after election, Germans have put their trust in her to decide what's best for them. She's seen as key in making Germany the success story it is today. |
| The way she's handling the migrant crisis is the biggest gamble of her political career. | The way she's handling the migrant crisis is the biggest gamble of her political career. |
| Only one in three here say they agree with Mrs Merkel's migrant policy, according to the most recent poll. And she's slipping in popularity ratings. | Only one in three here say they agree with Mrs Merkel's migrant policy, according to the most recent poll. And she's slipping in popularity ratings. |
| German newspapers are full of reports about the benefits refugees receive compared to German citizens on welfare, leading, in some quarters, to a sense of injustice. | German newspapers are full of reports about the benefits refugees receive compared to German citizens on welfare, leading, in some quarters, to a sense of injustice. |
| There's also a more widespread worry about strains on the national health and education systems. | There's also a more widespread worry about strains on the national health and education systems. |
| Merkel under pressure: Chancellor's migrant policy faces criticism at home | |
| Focus on Turkey: Why the EU views Syria's northern neighbour as key | |
| Crisis in graphics: Migration numbers explained | |
| About two million people have fled to Turkey in more than four years of conflict in Syria. Every week thousands seek to enter the EU - typically via Greece - with many heading towards northern Europe. | About two million people have fled to Turkey in more than four years of conflict in Syria. Every week thousands seek to enter the EU - typically via Greece - with many heading towards northern Europe. |
| Germany accepted the largest number of asylum claims in 2014 and expects to see as many as 800,000 this year. Sweden had the second-highest number of asylum seekers. | Germany accepted the largest number of asylum claims in 2014 and expects to see as many as 800,000 this year. Sweden had the second-highest number of asylum seekers. |
| Conflicts in Libya, the Horn of Africa and Afghanistan are also fuelling the influx of migrants. | Conflicts in Libya, the Horn of Africa and Afghanistan are also fuelling the influx of migrants. |
| In a letter to EU leaders on Wednesday, European Council President Donald Tusk warned that the regional situation was "politically very complex". | In a letter to EU leaders on Wednesday, European Council President Donald Tusk warned that the regional situation was "politically very complex". |
| He went on: "We must ask ourselves if the decisions we have taken so far, and the ones we are going to take on Thursday, are sufficient to contain a new migratory wave" - a wave, he warned, that could mean millions of new arrivals in the spring. | He went on: "We must ask ourselves if the decisions we have taken so far, and the ones we are going to take on Thursday, are sufficient to contain a new migratory wave" - a wave, he warned, that could mean millions of new arrivals in the spring. |
| Have you been affected by any of the issues raised in this story? You can share your comments and experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | Have you been affected by any of the issues raised in this story? You can share your comments and experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. |
| Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: |
| Or use the form below | Or use the form below |