EU-Turkey Summit on the refugee crisis – Law and (dis)order?

After many meetings and long hours of negotiations, the overwhelming feeling when a deal between the EU and Turkey was struck, was one of “mission accomplished”! Faced with an unprecedented crisis and forced to appease increasingly hostile public opinions back home, EU leaders had only one objective in mind: reducing the number of migrants arriving in the EU so that order can return in the framework of EU rules. However, a closer look at the Summit Conclusions and the EU-Turkey statement leaves a bitter taste, according to Yves Pascouau. In this Commentary, he questions the feasibility of the final EU-Turkey deal, saying that it creates more problems than it solves: besides the obvious legal and practical issues, it is far from certain which member states will be willing to do their part, or whether or not the EU can come up with a strategic vision on human mobility for the future.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: European Council, Brussels, 17 - 18 March 2016 http://www.europeansources.info/record/european-council-brussels-17-18-march-2016/

ESO: Background information: International Summit: Meeting of the EU heads of state or government with Turkey, Brussels, 7 March 2016 http://www.europeansources.info/record/international-summit-meeting-of-the-eu-heads-of-state-or-government-with-turkey-brussels-7-march-2016/

Elcano Real Institute: Analysis of the Elcano Real Institute, 15.03.16: Stormy months on the Aegean: the refugee deal and its impact on Turkey-EU relations http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/wps/wcm/connect/410bac804c0a1596ba1dffe0b4b2c44e/ARI27-2016-Toygur-Ozsoz-Stormy-months-Aegean-refugee-deal-impact-Turkey-EU-relations.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=410bac804c0a1596ba1dffe0b4b2c44e

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