The European Union (EU) and Turkey have reached a deal on the migrant crisis, which will see migrants returned to Turkey in exchange for aid and political concessions. Under the plan, from midnight Sunday, migrants arriving in Greece will be sent back to Turkey if their asylum claim is rejected. In return, EU countries will resettle Syrian migrants living in Turkey.
EU leaders have welcomed the agreement but German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned of legal challenges to come. Some of the initial concessions offered to Turkey have been watered down and some EU members expressed disquiet over Turkey’s human rights record. Despite this, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said it was a historic day.
Since January last year, a million migrants and refugees have entered the EU by boat from Turkey to Greece. More than 132,000 have arrived this year alone. Tens of thousands are now stuck in Greece as their route north has been blocked.