"Both sides will, as agreed and with immediate effect, step up their active cooperation on migrants who are not in need of international protection, preventing travel to Turkey and the EU, ensuring the application of the established bilateral readmission provisions and swiftly returning migrants who are not in need of international protection to their countries of origin," Reuters reported, citing the draft conclusions of Sunday’s EU-Turkey summit in Brussels.
In exchange, Turkey will get 3 billion euros of initial aid to handle the refugees on its territory.
The EU aims to waive visa requirements for Turks traveling to the EU in October 2016 if Ankara meets certain criteria specified in an agreed roadmap.
According to the International Organization for Migration, almost 900,000 people have entered Europe this year seeking sanctuary or jobs. More than 600,000 have entered through Greece, many after making the short sea crossing from Turkey.
So Turkey has become an indispensable actor as the refugee emergency leads some European nations to shut down borders, crack down on security or erect razor-wire fences.
