Changing Parameters of Migration Cooperation: Beyond the EU-Turkey Deal?

Executive Summary

The debate on EU-Turkey cooperation in the field of migration has so far largely focused on the so-called “EU-Turkey deal.” This paper takes the debate one step further by reflecting on the overlooked financial and institutional component of the deal, namely the institutionalized support Turkey has been receiving from the EU to bolster refugee integration in Turkey. It argues that the discussion on migration cooperation between Turkey and the EU should move toward issues concerning rights-based good governance aiming at cohesion and employing effective inter-institutional cooperation in the design and implementation of policies toward the refugees who already reside in Turkey and in EU member countries. We believe that this is significant primarily for two reasons. One is that the overwhelming focus on the EU-Turkey migration deal has played a toxic role in the overall EU-Turkey relationship, with the deal itself being subject to political bargaining and joint accusations breeding substantive mistrust on both sides. Secondly, the existing research suggests that a vast majority of refugees in Turkey do not bear the intention to leave the country, which already hosts over four million refugees. This means that Turkey is facing similar long-term governance-related challenges to other EU member states such as Germany, which also hosts a considerable number of refugees. An EU-Turkey cooperation designed on such premises would not only strengthen the integration of refugees in Turkey but also entail the prospect of making a fundamental pillar of EU-Turkey cooperation less transactional and, thus, the relationship less toxic.

Introduction

In the summer of 2015, close to one million Syrian refugees transited through Turkey and risked their lives crossing the Aegean Sea in hopes of seeking protection in Europe. The debate over the arrival of refugees in Europe was leading to a political crisis in the EU as no agreement could be reached on how/ where to distribute inflows of refugees within European territory to ease the burden on border countries. Therefore, efforts turned to addressing the issue with countries of transit and origin, most notably Turkey, as the country was facing a huge refugee influx. In the fall of 2015, the EU and Turkey entered into high-level policy dialogues to address this common migration challenge. This was also seen as an opportunity to re-energize Turkey’s stagnating EU accession process. In October 2015, the European Commission presented the EU-Turkey Joint Action Plan, activated during the November 29, 2015 EU-Turkey Summit. Then, during the March 18, 2016 Summit, the EU-Turkey Statement, or better known as the “EU-Turkey deal,” was signed, which detailed cooperation in supporting Turkey in hosting this vast refugee population, curbing irregular migration flows to Europe, promoting legal channels for protection and resettlement in Europe, accelerating visa liberalization for Turkey, and re-energizing Turkey’s EU accession process. With respect to migration management alone, the EU-Turkey deal included both a concrete return and resettlement scheme to manage irregular migration from Turkey and substantial funding (3 billion EUR for 2016-17 and another 3 billion EUR for 2018-19) to support Turkey in hosting refugees.