While it is too early to jump into definite conclusions about the nature and scope of the EU-Turkey migrant deportation deal, it is nonetheless quite obvious that what is going on is a “bargaining game” of national interests where there is little room left for the application and pursuit of idealistic or humanistic aspirations.
The EU is trying hard to shift the migrant problem to Turkey while Erdogan’s government uses the opportunity available by virtue of Europe’s fatally flawed political architecture — and therefore EU’s inability to address big problems in any effective and sustainable way — to derive specific material benefits for itself.
The agreement reached in principle is based on a Turkish-proposed plan to deport migrants from Greece to Turkey while resettling the same number of Syrian refugees in the EU.
This is good news for Greece, but quite bad for Europe’s soul as it is essentially violating the Geneva Convention by turning away people who are in need of international protection.
Turkey remains an authoritarian regime with no respect for human rights and individual liberties.
Still, the EU is apparently so pleased with this development that it is willing to provide massive financial support to Ankara, an additional 3 billion euros between now and 2018, in addition to the 3 billion euros already promised last year.
But I think it is also clear that there won’t be expedited Turkey membership into EU.
Europe’s leaders continue to be leery of the prospect of millions of Turks flooding Europe’s capitals.
Lest we forget, Greek PM Tsipras has also pledged to veto Turkey’s accession, saying that “Turkey first should back down from casus belli military demands.”
Neither do I think that Europe’s leaders will give in easy to Ankara’s request for a visa-free travel regime. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she is willing to support this demand if Turkey delivers on the migrant deportation deal, but French President Hollande stressed that Ankara should first comply with all of the necessary criteria. “Visa liberalization could take place in June if the criteria are respected, there are 72 [of them],” he said..
The issue of a free-visa regime for Turkey is now set to be finalized on March 17-18 at the next EU summit in Brussels.
For the time being, the deal reached is one that all parties involved feel they come out ahead.
Thus, European Council President Donald Tusk hailed the results of the summit, predicting that the “days of irregular migration to Europe are over,” while Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu confirmed that “Turkey will take back irregular migrants apprehended on Turkish waters” (in exchange for billions of euros).
Nonetheless, it would be naïve to think that yesterday’s EU-Turkey meeting resolved the refugee migration crisis.
New, bigger waves of refugees and migrants are expected to occur in the next two years, not only from war-torn regions of the globe but also as a result of people seeking to escape the effects of climate change — the mother of all geopolitical challenges.
The refugee saga is anything but over.
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