Off the wire
• U.S. Justice Dept. rebuts Apple for refusal to help access to terrorist's iPhone  • Oil prices retreat on profit taking  • 1st LD Writethru: U.S. stocks end narrowly mixed after ECB rate cut  • Urgent: Kim Jong Un orders nuclear strike means to be ready for action  • Israel expels family of Palestinian attacker from east Jerusalem to West Bank  • Paris-Nice road cycling race standings after 4th stage  • Paris-Nice road cycling race results  • 1st LD Writethru: U.S. dollar falls against euro after ECB move  • Urgent: U.S. stocks end narrowly mixed after ECB rate cut  • Belgian court rejects request to free Jewish museum shooting suspect  
You are here: 　 Home

EU home affairs ministers welcome latest proposals on refugee with Turkey

Xinhua, March 11, 2016 Adjust font size:

European Union(EU) member states' home affairs ministers during their Thursday meeting here welcomed the latest outcome of the EU's cooperation plan with Turkey in curbing refugee influx.

"Our Council (of ministers) welcomed the Turkish proposals; it could help a great deal both to curb migration influx and prevent people from putting their life in the hands of ruthless smugglers," said Klaas Dijkhoff, Minister for Migration of the Netherlands.

Dimitrios Avramopoulos, European Commission commissioner for migration and home affairs, said that the Commission has also developed a contingency and response plan to cater for up to 100,000 persons that may find themselves stranded in Greece.

"We have also increased the emergency assistance for asylum and migration with 275.5 million euros in 2016; this will be to help and support member states that are particularly under pressure," he said.

"On relocation, the numbers continue to be very low. Member states have only offered places for 3,412 asylum seekers and only 885 people have been relocated; several member states have not yet offered to relocate a single asylum seeker," he said.

During the meeting, ministers took stock of the work on the proposal for a European border and coast guard. The proposed agency would bring together resources from Frontex and member states in order to monitor migratory flows, identify weak spots and respond in situations where the EU's external border is at risk.

According to the outcome of the ministers' meeting, the goal of the current EU Presidency is to reach a Council position on the whole text by the home affairs ministers' meeting in April with a view to striking an agreement with the European Parliament by June, as requested by the European Council.

According to media reports, the EU and Turkey on Monday agreed on a provisional deal that would send all individuals arriving in Greece from Turkey back to Turkey.

On Monday, Turkey offered to take back all refugees and migrants who cross into Europe from its soil in return for more money, faster EU membership talks and quicker visa-free travel for Turks, reports said. Endit