| Author (Person) | Scazzieri, Luigi |
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| Publisher | Centre for European Reform (CER) |
| Series Title | CER Bulletin |
| Series Details | Number 131 |
| Publication Date | April / May 2020 |
| Content Type | Research Paper |
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Summary: In late February 2020, thousands of migrants and refugees tried to enter Greece after Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he would allow refugees living in Turkey to travel freely to Europe. The announcement led to violence at the border, and confronted the EU with the prospect of a renewal of the 2015-16 migration crisis. It was also a stark reminder of the very poor state of EU-Turkey ties. Relations had been increasingly fraught due to a series of disagreements over the implementation of the 2016 refugee deal, Turkey’s military operation against Kurds in northern Syria, and its gas exploration activities off the coast of Cyprus, which led the EU to impose sanctions. As tensions have increased, even transactional co-operation on migration became more difficult. Despite growing tensions with Turkey on these issues, it was in the EU’s interest to renew co-operation on migration with Ankara. The Union should also try to shift the relationship in a less confrontational direction.
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| Subject Categories | Politics and International Relations |
| Subject Tags | Bilateral Relations, Migration | Immigration |
| Countries / Regions | Turkey |
| International Organisations | European Union [EU] |
