EU to start sending refugees to Turkey 'from today'

BRUSSELS

Refugees and asylum seekers seeking to enter Europe irregularly will be sent to Turkey starting from Sunday under a deal with EU, Turkey’s EU Minister Volkan Bozkir told Anadolu Agency.

For every refugee or asylum seeker sent to Turkey, a Syrian refugee from Turkish camps will be resettled in the EU. Those trying to enter Europe illegally will not receive the chance to be resettled in the EU, according to the terms of the deal.

Bozkir said the aim of the EU-Turkey deal is to lower incentives for refugees, who risk their lives by trying to enter Greece via irregular and dangerous sea routes.

Under the deal, all refugees and asylum seekers arriving in Europe via Greece after Sunday would be returned to Turkey after individual assessments, which European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker assured would be in full compliance with international law.

The EU has also agreed to accelerate Turkey’s accession process by opening chapter 33 on financial and budgetary provisions by June 30.

Turkey is hosting the largest number of Syrian refugees in the world and has spent more than seven billion euros ($7.7 billion) meeting their needs, according to European Commission figures released last year.

Ankara has also requested visa-free travel for its citizens by the end of June, speeding up its accession talks and an additional three billion euros ($3.3 billion) to meet the needs of Syrian refugees in Turkey.

Turkey must fulfill 72 requirements in the visa roadmap, including issues such as migration management, public order and security. The country has so far fulfilled 37 requirements, and 35 still remain.