European Union leaders threw their weight behind efforts to work with Turkey to limit the flow of refugees to Europe, with German chancellor Angela Merkel labelling it a priority in an announcement early on Friday.
“The important statement for me today is that we have not only reaffirmed the EU-Turkey action plan, but we have said it is our priority,” Merkel said of the plan to address migration and border controls.
Merkel noted Austria backed the plan, despite its unilateral decision to introduce daily caps on migrants. “In Europe we are all always partners,” she said.
The European Council president, Donald Tusk, earlier announced the postponed extraordinary summit with Turkey would now be held probably in early March.
The “joint action plan with Turkey remains a priority and we must do all we can to succeed”, he said.
#Merkel confirms Austria will introduce ceiling of 80 asylum seekers per day. A surprise in some countries, but not a heated debate #euco
— Henriette Jacobsen (@eu_journalist) February 19, 2016
The meeting had been planned before the full summit on Thursday but was cancelled after Turkey’s prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, pulled out following a bomb attack in Ankara.
The EU has promised billions of euros, an easing of visa restrictions and fast-track membership for Turkey to persuade it to tighten border controls.
More than 2 million refugees are on Turkish soil, most of them from Syria.
Austria announced earlier this week it would let no more than 3,200 migrants and refugees into its territory per day – either to travel on to Germany or apply for asylum in Austria – and would introduce a daily limit of 80 asylum claims. The new rules come into force on Friday.
Speaking as EU leaders arrived in Brussels for their summit, Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, said “he didn’t like the decision” and promised to raise the issue with Austrian chancellor, Werner Faymann, later on Thursday. But Faymann appeared unrepentant, telling reporters: “Politically I say we’ll stick with it.”
