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Migrant crisis: EU and Turkey close in on agreement Migrant crisis: EU and Turkey plan one-in, one-out deal
(about 3 hours later)
The EU and Turkey say they have agreed the broad principles of a plan to ease the migration crisis at a summit in Brussels, but delayed a final decision. The EU and Turkey say they have agreed the broad principles of a plan to ease the migration crisis.
European Council President Donald Tusk said all irregular migrants arriving in Greece from Turkey would be returned. Under the plan discussed in Brussels, all migrants arriving in Greece from Turkey would be returned.
For each Syrian returned, Turkey wants the EU to accept a recognised Syrian refugee, and offer more funding and progress on EU integration. For each Syrian sent back, a Syrian already in Turkey would be resettled in the EU. Turkey would also get extra funding and progress on EU integration.
Talks on the plan will continue ahead of an EU meeting on 17-18 March. However, the deal has not been finalised and talks will continue ahead of an EU meeting on 17-18 March.
Europe is facing its biggest refugee crisis since World War Two. Most migrants come via Turkey, which is already sheltering more than 2.7 million refugees from the civil war in neighbouring Syria. Europe is facing its biggest refugee crisis since World War Two. Last year, more than a million people entered the EU illegally by boat, mainly going from Turkey to Greece.
Read more about the migrant crisisRead more about the migrant crisis
'Breakthrough' Most of them were Syrian, fleeing the country's four-year civil war. Another 2.7 million Syrian refugees are currently in Turkey.
Turkey tabled new proposals ahead of the EU summit on Monday, and there was uncertainty on whether any agreement would be possible. What's in the proposal?
However, European Council President Donald Tusk said leaders had made a "breakthrough", and he was hopeful of concluding a deal next week. The EU heads said "bold moves" were needed to tackle the crisis, and made the following proposals:
How have leaders reacted?
European Council President Donald Tusk insisted the leaders at the summit had made a "breakthrough", and he was hopeful of concluding the deal in the next week.
He said the progress sent "a very clear message that the days of irregular migration to Europe are over".He said the progress sent "a very clear message that the days of irregular migration to Europe are over".
In a statement, EU leaders said they broadly supported a deal that included: However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was more circumspect, saying: "It is a breakthrough if it becomes reality."
Speaking at a news conference after the summit, Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey had made a "bold decision to accept all irregular illegal migrants... based on the assumption that for every one Syrian readmitted by Turkey from the Greek islands another Syrian will be resettled by Europe." Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey had taken a "game-changing" decision "to discourage illegal migration, to prevent human smugglers, to help people who want to come to Europe through encouraging legal migration".
But he said it was important to see the refugee deal as a package, to include progress on Turkish integration within the EU. The BBC's Chris Morris in Brussels says that, although this new initiative is bold, it could spark fierce argument and its implementation will not be easy.
The BBC's Chris Morris in Brussels says that, although this new initiative is bold, it could spark fierce argument and its implementation will not be easy. But, he says, the EU clearly needs Turkey's co-operation if it is to begin coping with the migration crisis. Can the return system work?
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the proposals could be a major step forward if realised, stressing that "irregular migration" needed to be turned into "regular migration". The system spelled out to the BBC by EU Commission spokesperson for migration Natasha Bertaud would see all migrants rescued in Greek waters taken to a Greek island for screening.
French President Francois Hollande also hailed progress at the talks, indicating that aid to Turkey could be increased. All economic migrants would then be returned to Turkey where they would be screened again and "if they have no right to international protection" (which currently covers only Syrians) sent back to their country of origin.
After the summit concluded, Luxembourg PM Xavier Bettel tweeted that Mr Tusk would "take forward the proposals and work out the details with the Turkish side before [the 17-18] March" migration summit. All migrants rescued by Nato in Turkish waters would be taken back to Turkey, which would decide if their status.
UK PM David Cameron said EU leaders did have "the basis for a breakthrough", which would mean that all migrants arriving in Greece could be returned to Turkey. Serious questions remain.
However before the summit, he stressed the UK would not take part in any resettlement scheme, saying: "We have an absolutely rock-solid opt-out from these things." What will happen to the thousands of migrants already in Greece, which has struggled to shelter and register them?
Earlier a spokesman for Hungarian PM Viktor Orban - who has taken a strongly anti-immigrant stance - said he had vetoed the plan to resettle refugees in Europe. What is the legal status of returning migrants to Turkey? As it is not a full member of the Geneva Convention, could the system be challenged in courts? In addition, only one member of the EU - Bulgaria - currently considers Turkey a safe country of return.
Later on Tuesday, Mr Davutoglu will meet Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras for talks in the Turkish city of Izmir. The UN's refugee agency has already voiced concern about the "blanket return" of people without clarity on their legal status.
Nato mission The one-in, one out system also only applies to Syrians. What will happen to all the other migrants returned to Turkey? Again the legality of their return must be considered, as must Turkey's capability to return them to their countries of origin.
Last year, more than a million people entered the EU illegally by boat, mainly going from Turkey to Greece. The biggest problem, though, will be the migrants themselves - having risked their lives and invested much of their money, will they not simply try other routes? The migrants in the Calais camp known as "the Jungle" have not been known to give up on their attempts to reach the UK.
Some 13,000 migrants are currently stranded in northern Greece, after Macedonia strictly limited the numbers allowed to pass through to all but a trickle. As for resettlement, there is major opposition among some EU members for compulsory migrant quotas.
The future of the Schengen agreement - which allows passport-free travel in a 26-nation zone - is on the agenda, as the leaders are anxious to save a system thought to bring billions of euros to Europe's economy every year. What are the other obstacles?
The EU said last October it would relocate 160,000 asylum seekers, mainly from Greece and Italy, but there was strong opposition among some members. Fewer than 700 migrants have moved. Hungary's anti-migration PM Viktor Orban has already indicated he may veto the resettlement deal.
Meanwhile more than 2,000 migrants, mostly from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, continue to arrive daily in Greece from Turkey. Turkey's bid for EU membership. A long and thorny issue, not helped by the recent press-freedom wrangle over the court-ordered seizure of the opposition Zaman newspaper. Given all the hurdles, though, this is not a pressing concern.
Nato says it is expanding its naval mission against people-smuggling in the Aegean Sea to cover Turkish and Greek territorial waters. More problematic is Turkey's request for visa-free access for all its citizens to the EU's Schengen zone, which it hopes to achieve by June. This may draw a lot of opposition.
EU leaders welcome the move on Monday, and called on Nato members to support the operation actively. The future of Schengen - which allows passport-free travel in a 26-nation zone - is already in doubt, given that eight of its members have introduced temporary border controls.
A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants.