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BEIJING, Oct. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- The European Union has struck a preliminary agreement with Turkey that the bloc hopes will help slow the number of asylum seekers currently entering the EU.
Relocating plan that European leaders agreed on the last summer, only contains 120,000 people which is very small compared to the numbers earlier time this morning in Brussels they came up in a action plan for Turkey.
Of the roughly 600,000 asylum seekers to reach the European Union so far this year, the majority has first landed in Greece having set off by boat from Turkey.
After marathon talks on Thursday, European Leaders announced a preliminary deal aimed at halting that flow.
"Refugees who are in Turkey to stay in Turkey is the first point which is important and the second point is to prevent migrants from travelling through Turkey to the European Union," said Jean Claude Juncker, European Commission president.
The deal could ultimately lead to joint EU Turkish coastguard patrols and large refugee camps being established in Turkey with the help of Brussels.
In return for Ankara’s assistance leaders agreed to speed up the easing of visa rules for Turks travelling to the bloc and to get talks on Turkey one-day joining the E.U. back on track.
Turkey’s request for almost three and a half billion U.S. dollars in financial assistance is also being considered. Several member states were cautious about making too many concessions to Turkey.
But most EU leaders are convinced that efforts to contain the refugee crisis will fail without closer co-operation with Ankara.
"Leaders tonight took important decisions that will help secure the union’s external borders," said Donald Tusk, European Council president.
Most EU leaders agree that if the bloc’s external frontiers cannot be effectively controlled the Schengen open border zone to which most member states belong will quickly become unworkable.
Leaders also agreed to work towards an expansion of the funding and powers of the bloc’s border security agency Frontex, and to mandate it for the first time to deport people who fail to gain refugee status.
(Source: CNTV.cn)
