The Eu-Turkey Refugee Agreement

Secondly, the agreement is an abandonment of international architecture, which has so far been respected – at least nominally – by European states, and has shown the continent`s willingness not to comply with international standards and laws on the protection of refugees. The 2016 agreement is one of many examples of the lack of rich countries for the reception of refugees in low- and middle-income countries. Australia is submitting its asylum claims and the United States has used the threat of tariffs to force Mexico to stem the flow of refugee arrivals. The EU is also providing financial assistance and assistance to Libya in exchange for its cooperation to reduce the flow of refugees and migrants. According to Yavcan, the most important thing for Syrian refugees is to learn the language and find a job. She says that currently only 20,000 Syrians have work permits and that at least 800,000 Syrians are working illegally, many of them children. In 2015, nearly one million refugees and irregular migrants arrived in Europe. The headlines were dominated by tragic mass drinkers in the Aegean Sea or images of crowds that crossed different countries, often hoping to reach northern Europe, and in particular Germany. The political establishment has shaken: Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, wrote that leaders across Europe perceive a crisis of epic proportions. However, as he said, this was indeed a crisis of “politics, not capacity.” His words proved not only instructive, but also prophetic. While the Turkish government needed a public relations victory, it had deeper motivations for opening borders. Ankara said the measure would put pressure on the European Union to support its orientation in Idlib and to provide additional funds to Syrian refugees in Turkey.

It also sought to force the EU to comply with its obligations under a March 2016 agreement by which Turkey limits the number of migrants entering Europe in exchange for refugee aid and other promises. In the EU-Turkey agreement, EUR 3 billion of EU funds have been allocated by individual institutions and states to improve the humanitarian situation of Syrian refugees in Turkey. Last month, for example, an additional EUR 3 billion was approved by the European Commission. The EU allocates billions more euros to help refugees in Turkey. But what will this money be used for? Nas says Turkish city councillors must also submit project applications to avoid delays such as those caused by the first aid tranche and to ensure that the funds made available by the EU are more transparent. Nas explains that while the first half of aid is aimed at meeting the immediate needs of refugees, the second half should be devoted to cultural integration, language learning, vocational training and employment. As the EU meets to discuss the issue of refugees arriving in Europe at its Leader Summit, it faces a fundamental dilemma again – either it will either no longer escape its legal responsibility for refugees, or it will continue to tighten its borders and pay for the reception of refugees in third countries while sacrificing its own values and authorities for global refugee protection.