EU hails migration deal with Turkey amid diplomatic tensions

The European Union (EU) heaped praise on the EU-Turkey deal in a factsheet published on Friday, a day ahead of its one-year anniversary, saying it remarkably reduced migratory flows from Turkey to Greece and the loss of life at the sea.

Turkey says may cancel migrant readmission deal after Greece ruling

Turkey on Friday threatened to scrap a migrant readmission deal with Athens after the Greek Supreme Court refused to return eight suspects allegedly linked to the failed July coup.

Greece returns 60 migrants to Turkey under EU deal: Among them were 5 Turkish citizens who travelled to Greece illegally

Greece has returned a group of 60 irregular migrants to Turkey, the Greek ministry of public order and citizen protection announced Friday.

Greece denies call for 'Plan B' in EU-Turkey migrant deal

Greece's immigration minister on Wednesday denied having called on the European Union to draw up a back-up plan in case Turkey reneges on a controversial deal aimed at limiting the influx of migrants.

Greece asks Brussels for backup plan on refugee agreement with Turkey. We need a "Plan B", Mouzalas said

The Greek government called on Brussels for an alternative immigration plan with Turkey, the country's migration minister said on Wednesday.

Ultimatum Ankara: visa – free regime, or cancel transactions on migrants from EU

Foreign Minister of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu issued an ultimatum to the EU, stating: if the citizens of his country will not be granted a visa-free regime, Ankara cancels the agreement on the admission of refugees from the Middle East and North Africa who invaded Europe.

Turkey seeks readmission deals with Iraq, Iran

Neighboring Iran and Iraq are among the 14 countries with which Turkey has offered to sign readmission agreements in a move to enable Turkey to take back migrants rejected by the European Union more quickly.

Grèce: des dizaines de migrants pakistanais en grève de la faim à Lesbos

Un groupe de 70 Pakistanais, détenus dans le hotspot de Moria sur l'île grecque de Lesbos où restent enfermés au moins 3.000 migrants de diverses nationalités, ont commencé jeudi une grève de la faim pour protester contre leur éventuel renvoi en Turquie en vertu de l'accord UE-Turquie, a appris un correspondant de l'AFP.

Migrants on Greece's Lesvos island protest against returns to Turkey

Dozens of migrants stranded on the Greek island of Lesvos in the Aegean Sea carried out a sit in protest on Tuesday against deportations to Turkey a day after the first 200 people were shipped to Dikili port under the recent European Union (EU)-Turkey deal to curb the influx into Europe.

Turkey: Migrants currently on Greek islands not part of readmission deal.

Turkey’s EU Minister Volkan Bozkır has stressed that the readmission deal with the Union will not apply to refugees who have already made their way to Greek islands.

Le Parlement européen critique le pré-accord avec la Turquie

Le Parlement européen se montrait critique mardi concernant le pré-accord conclu la veille entre les chefs d'Etat et de gouvernement européens et la Turquie sur la crise migratoire. Seul le PPE (conservateurs) prenait la défense des décisions prises lors du sommet extraordinaire à Bruxelles.

UN warns EU refugee plan may break law

The UN refugee agency said on Tuesday that the European Union’s “quick fix” deal to send back refugees en masse to Turkey would contravene their right to protection under European and international law.

EU welcomes Turkey plan to stop migrants

The European Union and Turkey have agreed in principle that both Syrian and non-Syrian refugees could be sent back to Turkey from Greek islands as part of a package of radical new measures which both sides hope to finalise at a further summit meeting next week.

Turkey needs to stem migrant flow by June 1 deadline, says EU envoy

Turkey needs to stop or significantly reduce the number of illegal migrants crossing into Europe by June 1, when a readmission agreement between Ankara and Brussels goes into full effect, an EU envoy said on March 4.

European Commission opposes to sending migrants to Turkey. Turkey wants more money from EU for refugee aid

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said he would not be a party in sending migrants back to Turkey upon what he called “Samson Plan,” stating the plan was “illegal” after it drew negative reactions both from the European Commission and several rights advocate groups.

"If Croatia, Austria, Germany close borders so will Serbia"

The border between FYROM [***] and Serbia in the south is crossed every day by about 2,500 migrants and refugees. 

EU migration chief, Dimitris Avramopoulos, says refugee response is not working

The European Union's top migration official says efforts to manage the refugee emergency are not working and that more countries are tightening border security to cope with the influx.

Turkey: no deal yet with EU on migrant ‘action plan’

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday the European Union had woken up too late to Turkey’s importance in stemming the flow of refugees from Syria and accused it of insincerity in talks on Turkish membership despite its recent overtures.

Do not make Erdoğan EU’s border guard-in-chief, Greens say after refugee summit

A series of promises the European Union has made to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in return for Turkish cooperation in stemming refugee flow to European countries may give rise to the impression that the 27-nation bloc supports the Turkish government's “irresponsible politics” just weeks before a parliamentary election, the co-president of the European Greens said on Friday.

No deal yet with EU over migrant action plan (AKP spokesperson)

Nothing has yet been concluded with the EU over the stemming of migrant and refugee flows, Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesperson Ömer Çelik said on Oct. 16, adding that talks are still continuing.