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Critics have warned that the EU’s proposal to fund Turkey’s eastern border control is “really problematic” and could result in refugees being forced to return to Syria, Iran and Iraq.
According to the leaked plan seen by The Guardian, the European Commission hopes to provide funding for “border control” on the eastern border of Turkey as part of its efforts to prevent refugees and immigrants from entering Turkey. Europe.
The draft-which will be debated by EU leaders at Thursday’s summit-calls for 3 billion euros (2.5 billion pounds) from the EU budget to fund Turkey’s refugee assistance and immigration policies, which are not specified. The funds will be used for border control.
The EU is seeking to update its Agreement with Ankara in 2016This is a controversial agreement. The European Union agreed to spend 6 billion euros on Syrian refugees in Turkey in exchange for the Turkish authorities to make greater efforts to prevent the flow of migrants into Europe.
The committee recommended that another 3 billion euros be invested in Turkey’s immigration program. At least 3.7 million Syrians live in Turkey, of which 2.2 billion euros will be used to provide refugee assistance to Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
But the proposal in the draft that EU funding should go beyond the full humanitarian focus-including “funding for immigration management and border control, especially on the eastern border of Turkey”, according to its text-may cause those who believe that the EU is to establish a ” European fortresses” trample on the rights of asylum seekers.
Turkey borders the province of Idlib, The only area in Syria not controlled by President Bashar al-Assad After 10 years of war in this country. The United Nations warned that if the United Nations fails to approve the maintenance of the aid transit route between Idlib and Turkey next month, millions of people will face disaster.
More than 1 million Syrians in Turkey do not have a work permit, which makes them vulnerable to exploitation by their employers. According to UNICEF, approximately 400,000 refugee children in Turkey are not in school, which makes them vulnerable to mental health problems, child labor, child marriage and other forms of exploitation. In Lebanon, 89% of 850,000 people Syrian refugees According to the United Nations, living in extreme poverty.
The document stated that part of the EU’s 3 billion euros for Syrian refugees in Turkey will be used to fund “the most urgent needs of refugees and host communities”, referring to health services, education, social protection, skills development, and job creation. Opportunities, but the allocation of funds between these socio-economic projects and border controls was not specified.
Tineke Strik, a member of the Dutch Ministry of Green and Environmental Protection who focuses on immigration, told the Guardian that the latest committee plan raises many human rights issues. “this is very good [these countries] More and more money. The problem is of course the conditions for the payment of the money. This is obviously to keep everyone there and prevent people from leaving the EU. “
She worries that the European Union will fund the Turkish authorities to illegally “block” refugees fleeing Syria, Iran and Iraq. “At the eastern border, we know that not all Syrians are currently safe in Syria… which means that people can no longer leave the country, even if protection is needed.”
She added that asylum seekers from Iraq and Iran will also “face many difficulties in seeking protection.” “This is really problematic. Through such an agreement, you will increase Turkey’s motivation to close its borders… This actually means that we will provide funds to obstruct and prevent entry into Turkey.”
Catherine Wollard, President of the European Council refugee And the exiles said in Brussels that she was worried that any funds used for border control would prevent people from reaching safe locations and leaving Syria: “EU funds used to support may lead to Drive back [forcible return] Or other violations, if a large sum of money is designated for border management and border control. “
She said that Turkey “accommodates more refugees than any country in the world, so it is correct to provide support and funding”, and urged the EU to focus its funds on improving the Turkish asylum system and refugees with long-term economic and social rights. She added: “To a certain extent, Turkey can ask the EU to provide whatever it wants, and because of the dependency created by the EU-Turkey agreement, it can also do whatever it wants.”
The EU is walking a tightrope in relations with Turkey as it tries to criticize President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s repression of human rights and the rule of law, while maintaining the 2016 immigration agreement.
Erdogan, who frequently threatens to allow refugees and migrants to travel to the EU, has sparked outrage across the EU He opened the western border of his country in February 2020, Leading to the chaotic scene of the Greek army trying to repel people into its territory.
The Turkish government also accused the European Union of being too slow in releasing funds promised more than five years ago. The latest proposal states that the EU has provided 4.1 billion euros out of the 6 billion euros promised in 2016 to support at least 3.7 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey.
The ideas put forward by the committee under the guidance of France and Germany will be presented to all EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. These proposals must be approved by the member states and the European Parliament.
The Turkish government stated that it would not comment on the proposal because it has not yet been finalized.
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