Merkel defends refugee deal with Turkey, calls for common EU efforts

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday defended the proposed refugee deal with Turkey and called for more EU coordination on the issue of refugees ahead of an EU summit.

EU leaders are due to meet on Thursday and Friday at the summit in Brussels to discuss steps in the refugee policy that have been taken since the meeting with Turkey on March 7.

Addressing German parliamentarians in Berlin, Merkel said the recent drop in migrant arrivals, caused by the closure of borders along the Balkan route, had benefited Germany.

At the same time, she warned her country against being "too relieved."

"The refugee crisis, both for Germany and the EU as a whole, is the greatest challenge in a decade," Merkel said.

Instead of closing borders between European countries, the chancellor called on the EU to tackle the refugee issue together and to fight the root causes of people leaving their homeland.

Merkel reiterated the importance of the EU's cooperation with Turkey, saying the transit country "couldn't be honored enough" for taking in millions of refugees.

Speaking about the recent criticism that Turkey is using the refugee issue as leverage to pressure the EU into giving concessions, Merkel noted that there would be "no compromise on our principles" in dealing with Turkey, and that conditions for visa-free travel remained the same as before the refugee crisis.

In addition, the chancellor urged Athens to continue its work on providing shelters and hotpots in Greece, and called on the EU, in the face of a changed reality, to reform the Dublin system which provides rules for asylum in its member states. Endit