EU meets Turkey’s demand for €3 bln to tackle migrant crisis

PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Union offered Turkey a possible 3 billion euros ($3.4 billion) in aid and the prospect of easier travel visas and "re-energized" talks on joining the bloc in return for its help stemming the flow of migrants to Europe, Reuters reports.

Turkey asked the European Union for 3 billion euros on Thursday, easier travel to the EU for its citizens and diplomatic favors in exchange for helping stem the flow of Syrian refugees to Europe, EU officials and diplomats said after talks in Ankara.

EU leaders at a summit in Brussels said they agreed on an "action plan" with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to cooperate on improving the lives of two million Syrian refugees in Turkey and encouraging them to stay put.

They also agreed to coordinate border controls to slow the influx of migrants crossing Turkey from Asia.

Though the plan put no figure on "substantial and concrete new funds" the EU would offer, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the figure of 3 billion euros, which EU officials said Ankara had requested, had been discussed and seemed reasonable.

In formal conclusions agreed by the 28 national leaders at a meeting that ended after midnight, Turkey was offered an accelerated path to giving its citizens visa-free travel to the EU, provided it met previously agreed conditions.

Progress would also depend on Ankara showing real help in slowing migration and would be reviewed next spring, Reuters says.

French President Francois Hollande stressed that Turks would not be getting visas on easier terms. One condition still to be met is for Ankara to first stop granting such easy entry to Pakistanis, Afghans and others who end up heading to Europe.

European governments are wary of granting full visa-free access to 78 million Turks. Any liberalization is likely to be limited at first to business travelers and students.