Accession of Turkey to the European Union

It was Oct. 15, three days before her visit to Turkey on Oct. 18, when German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she would tell Turkish leaders not to tie the measures needed to be taken to stop the Syrian refugee influx to the country?s future membership in the European Union.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Turkey holding a basket full of gifts and the most precious one was the attempt to link the refugee issue with Turkey’s accession to the European Union showing a great willingness to speed up the procedure.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has pledged to give support to four Turkish demands on which Ankara has insisted in return for agreeing to a migrant action plan with the European Union.

"There are four elements. Germany is ready to give support on these issues," Merkel said Oct. 18 during a joint press conference with her Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davuto?lu. 

Amnesty International called on European Union leaders on Oct. 17 to put the rights of refugees above concerns to protect their borders, criticizing the EU's plan to offer aid and concessions to Turkey to stem the mass movement of asylum seekers to Europe.

Turkey and European Union have agreed to a "draft" agreement on migrants which will be implemented only after Ankara's political demands are met by Brussels, Turkish officials said.  

President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an claimed on Oct. 16 that 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. 

Erdo?an said NATO member Turkey?s proximity to Syria and its key role in handling the refugee crisis had strengthened its case for EU membership. 

EU leaders approved on Oct. 15 an action plan with Turkey to help stem the flood of migrants in return for concessions from Brussels, including easier visa access.

The implementation of readmission and visa liberalization agreements will be executed in a simultaneous way, the Turkish prime minister has stated, offering the European Union to set the execution date for mid-2016 instead of the end of 2017. 

The European Union’s leaders meet for a summit in Brussels today with refugee issue on top of the agenda.

EU leaders meet Oct. 15 to try to persuade Turkey to help stem the flow of refugees towards Europe, with German chancellor Angela Merkel saying it was "unacceptable" that the short sea crossing to Greece was being controlled by people smugglers.