Key points of EU-Turkey proposals

The EU and Turkey are negotiating a controversial deal to curb an unprecedented flow of migrants to Europe in exchange for concessions to Ankara.

Here is a summary of the key points under discussion, according to a draft by European Union president Donald Tusk that the bloc's leaders agreed to present to Turkey's premier.

- Migrants returned -

The key point of the deal: "All new irregular migrants crossing from Turkey into Greek islands will be returned to Turkey."

This includes both refugees fleeing conflict and persecution as well as economic migrants, and it applies irrespective of where the refugees originally come from.

The draft says it will be a "temporary and extraordinary measure which is necessary to end the human suffering and restore public order".

To meet international law, migrants will be "duly registered and any application for asylum will be processed individually by the Greek authorities". Those to do not, or whose applications are rejected, will be returned.

The UN refugee agency will help with the returns process, according to a clause inserted late on Thursday.

All costs will be covered by the EU.

The EU also will also "welcome Turkey’s commitment that migrants returned to Turkey will be protected in accordance with the international standards."

An EU official said it was "in our interest to limit the time between the deal and its entry into force to a minimum so as to avoid the creation of a 'pull factor'."

- One for one -

For every Syrian refugee being returned to Turkey from Greek islands, another Syrian will be resettled from Turkey to the EU.

The idea is to reduce the incentive for Syrian refugees to board dangerous smugglers' boats to Europe, as they will have good hope of being resettled directly from refugee camps.

Women and children will be prioritised under "UN Vulnerability Criteria." Priority will also be given to those who have not previously been deported from Greece.

The EU will use 18,000 spare places from an earlier resettlement scheme, and up to 54,000 places from a slow-moving plan to redistribute refugees in Greece and Italy around the EU. If the numbers exceed 72,000 the scheme will be reviewed.

- Visas -

The EU agrees to accelerate plans to bring in visa-free travel for Turkish nationals to the Schengen passport-free zone by June 2016 "provided that all benchmarks have been met".

In practice it will be almost impossible for Turkey to fulfil the list of 72 requirements demanded by Brussels, especially on a shortened timeline.

- More aid -

The EU agrees to speed up the payment of three billion euros ($3.4 billion) in aid for refugees in Turkey, under the terms of an earlier summit in November.

It also agrees to mobilise "up to a ceiling of an additional three billion euros up to the end of 2018" -- but only once the initial three billion has been spent.

- New chapters -

The EU will "prepare for the decision on the opening of new chapters" in Turkey's long-stalled bid for membership of the EU "as soon as possible."

At the request of Cyprus, which has long blocked the opening of new chapters because of tensions with Turkey, a mention of Ankara being involved in the preparations was removed from the proposal.
Source: AFP