| Author (Corporate) | European Council |
|---|---|
| Series Title | Meeting |
| Series Details | 17-18.03.16 |
| Publication Date | 17/03/2016 |
| Content Type | News |
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17 March 2016 European Parliament President Martin Schulz addressed European heads of state and government at the start of the EU summit dedicated to the migration crisis and economic priorities. He said that talks with Turkey on dealing with the refugee crisis should not be linked to the country's efforts to join the EU. "Turkey won't get any discounts on media freedom and minority protection, the separation of powers or the rule of law", he said, calling them 'non-negotiable issues'. Jobs, growth and competitiveness / climate and energy The European Council discussed the economic situation. In the context of the 2016 European Semester, the EU leaders endorsed the policy priority areas of the Annual Growth Survey: EU leaders also discussed the difficult situation in the steel sector and in agriculture, notably in the dairy and pig meat sectors. They welcomed the intention of the European Commission to publish a communication on an action plan on VAT. The European Council also welcomed the submission by the European Commission of the package on energy security. It underlined the EU's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions domestically and to increase the share of renewable energies and improve energy efficiency as agreed by the European Council in October 2014. Adapting the legislation to implement this framework is a priority. EU leaders look forward to the signature of the Paris Agreement in New York on 22 April 2016 and its entry into force. 18 March 2016 Meeting of EU leaders with Turkey To achieve their goals, EU and Turkish leaders agreed on a series of action points: EU leaders and Turkey also agreed to accelerate the fulfilment of the visa liberalisation roadmap, with a view to lifting visa requirements for Turkish citizens by end of June 2016 at the latest, if all benchmarks have been met. They reconfirmed their commitment to re-energise the accession process as set out in the joint statement of 29 November 2015. They agreed, as a next step, to open chapter 33 during the Netherlands presidency. Migration The European Council further discussed and confirmed its comprehensive strategy to tackle the migration crisis. They called for: EU leaders reaffirmed their support to Jordan and Lebanon and called for strengthened cooperation with the Western Balkans countries. Following the signing of the EU-Turkey agreement at the European Council, European Commission President Juncker appointed Maarten Verwey to act as the EU Coordinator to implement the EU-Turkey statement. EU Member States agreed to provide Greece at short notice with the necessary means, including border guards, asylum experts and interpreters, to implement the agreement as from 20 March 2016. Amnesty International said that "Guarantees to scrupulously respect international law are incompatible with the touted return to Turkey of all irregular migrants arriving on the Greek islands as of Sunday. Turkey is not a safe country for refugees and migrants, and any return process predicated on its being so will be flawed, illegal and immoral - whatever phantom guarantees precede this pre-declared outcome". John Dalhuisen, Director for Europe and Central Asia of Amnesty International said: "The 'double-speak' this deal is cloaked in fails to hide the European Union's dogged determination to turn its back on a global refugee crisis, and wilfully ignore its international obligations". The UN's refugee agency said big questions remained about how the deal would work in practice and called for urgent improvements to Greece's system for assessing refugees. UNHCR said "How this plan is to be implemented is thus going to be crucial. Ultimately, the response must be about addressing the compelling needs of individuals fleeing war and persecution. Refugees need protection, not rejection". At their meeting on 17 March 2016, EU leaders discussed further steps to address the migration crisis and EU-Turkey cooperation. They also held a debate on the economic situation and adopted the conclusions on jobs, growth and competitiveness and on climate and energy. On 18 March 2016, EU leaders met with their Turkish counterpart, Prime Minister of Turkey Ahmed Davutoğlu. They reached an agreement aimed at stopping the flow of irregular migration via Turkey to Europe, breaking the business model of smugglers and offering migrants an alternative to putting their lives at risk. |
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| Source Link | Link to Main Source http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/european-council/2016/03/17-18/ |
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| Subject Categories | Economic and Financial Affairs, Justice and Home Affairs, Politics and International Relations |
| Countries / Regions | Europe, Turkey |
