[WATCH] EU Commissioner Avramopoulos insists EU-Turkey deal on migration ‘works’

European Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos defends the European Union’s migration deal with Turkey • Video by Chris Mangion

European Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos has defended the European Union’s migration deal with Turkey, arguing that it “worked”.

Despite the worsening human rights conditions for Turkish citizens, the European Union engaged in talks with Turkey, who agreed to stop illegal migrants from crossing into Greece in exchange for financial aid for the asylum seekers, the promise of visa-free travel for Turks to much of the EU and accelerated EU membership talks.

Turkey has now also detained leaders of the country’s main pro-Kurdish opposition party.

Questioned by MaltaToday, Avramopoulos said that the deal with Turkey has ultimately achieved results.

"We want to see results. The EU-Turkey deal works and we have very positive results, with numbers having subsided significantly. We do wish for Turkey to move ahead and come back to full normality however it is surrounded by many problems and threats," the Commissioner said.

He added that given the complex and volatile situation in that part of the world, it was important for there a stable, democratic Turkey working closely with the EU. 

The Commissioner pointed out that Turkey has met 65 of the 74 benchmarks set out by the EU and that this showed a desire to collaborate and work more closely with Europe.

Avramopoulos – who earlier today held a meeting with Opposition leader Simon Busuttil – was addressing a press conference with Malta’s Home Affairs Minister, Carmelo Abela.

He is the latest European Commissioner to visit Malta as the island prepares to host the rotating Presidency of the EU Council in January 2017.

Migration and security in the Mediterranean will feature high on Malta’s agenda.

“The presidency will be one of the most crucial presidencies in the last 40 years,” he said, adding that the European Commission was determined to do all it can to help Malta reach goals set out for this period.

On migration, Avramopoulos said that Malta was up to task. He congratulated the staff working at the European Asylum Support Office in Malta and expressed optimism on broadening its scope and turning it into a fully-fledged European asylum agency.

On his part, Carmelo Abela said tackling migration was important: despite the fact that the EU-Turkey deal seemed to be working, more still needed to be done. 

“This year has once again seen an record number of deaths of migrants leaving Libya for Europe and that this will be a priority area for the Maltese Presidency,” the minister said.