Europe – Migrants – EU – Turkey – Commission
Wed Mar 16, 2016 16:57:02
The EU denied Wednesday that its planned deal to return all migrants who land in Greece to Turkey would break international law, saying there would be no mass expulsions.
“There can be no blanket returns,” European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans told a press conference on the eve of a summit at which Brussels and Ankara hope to seal the agreement.
“We are not turning our back on the refugees because they will be assured adequate international protection, either in the EU or in Turkey.”
Timmermans added: “Returns can only take place in accordance with the international and EU legal framework ... the case of each person needs to be assessed individually in the light of the charter of fundamental rights and European directives.”
Under the plan hailed as a “game-changer,” Turkey would seek to stop the dangerous sea journeys of refugees and take back all illegal migrants from Greece.
For each Syrian it takes back, it would send another one on to the EU in a more orderly redistribution program.
EU President Donald Tusk who will host the summit has admitted the deal needs to be “rebalanced,” especially in terms of whether it is legal when it comes to the right to seek asylum and how such a request is processed, AFP reported.
S/SH 11
string(1895) "[{"id":"1795152","sort":"3513035","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/03/03/alalam_635926129707349895_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"VIDEO: Migrants Block Train in Protest at Macedonia Greece Border"} ,{"id":"1795190","sort":"3513034","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/03/03/alalam_635926225518777116_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Greek Protesters Criticize EU Policies on Migrants"} ,{"id":"1795247","sort":"3513033","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/03/03/alalam_635926358918134643_25f_4x3.mp4","title":"URGENT: Greece Says Nearly 32,000 Migrants Now On Its Territory + VIDEO"} ,{"id":"1796115","sort":"3513032","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/03/06/alalam_635928950673625816_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"18 Migrants Drown in Aegean Sea Crossing Turkey to Greece"} ,{"id":"1796380","sort":"3513031","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/03/07/alalam_635929640409163469_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Only Migrants from Syria, Iraq Allowed to Cross Macedonian Border"} ,{"id":"1797168","sort":"3513030","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/03/09/alalam_635931497204926684_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Turkey Can’t Force Migrants Back to Terror, War: Turkish FM"} ,{"id":"1797210","sort":"3513029","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/03/09/alalam_635931579324061876_25f_4x3.mp4","title":"VIDEO: Migrants Make Journey to Greece despite Sea Patrols and Border Closures"} ,{"id":"1798376","sort":"3513028","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/03/13/alalam_635934905959763569_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Migrants Put Toddlers Lying on Train Tracks to Protest Closed Border"} ,{"id":"1798410","sort":"3513027","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/03/13/alalam_635934935117195671_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"VIDEO: Italian Coast Guard Rescues 19 Migrants Drifting off Greek Island"} ,{"id":"1798834","sort":"3513026","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/03/14/alalam_635935887806510071_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Hundreds of Migrants Cross Greece Border, Enter Macedonia"} ]"