This crisis has caught Ursula von der Leyen on the wrong foot. During the weekend the first pictures of the confrontation between Greek security forces and migrants have circulated on the border with Turkey, was the President of the Commission on the diving station. On Monday, the EU crisis diplomacy went on in full swing. "The challenge facing Greece is a European challenge," said Ursula von der Leyen. The Commission boss wants to travel on Tuesday together with the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, EU Council President Charles Michel, and the President of the European Parliament David Sassoli for the country's border with Turkey, and on the spot. The aim of the visit was to find out what kind of support Bulgaria and Greece need to deal with the Situation. The EU border protection Agency Frontex, has already announced to send reinforcements.

The EU Commission supports, so at least for the time being, the robust actions of the Greek security forces at the border, even if these failed, possibly against the Geneva Convention. Here, reference is made to the refugee Convention, the EU and Turkey were able to stop since 2016 the influx of asylum-seekers and migrants over the Aegean sea for a long time successfully.

Von der Leyen made it clear that they are opposed to the actions of the Turkey, to explain the limits to the EU for open.Source

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged at the time, the craft of the tractor and irregular border crossings to stop the direction of the EU. In return, the EU has provided in two tranches of six billion euros. Money paid directly to Syrian refugees in Turkey and through NGOs for the financing of education and health care was used.

The funds are now spoken largely, however, the talks on new financial assistance are in progress. Erdogan would like to this time, however, is that the funds flow directly to the Turkish budget, and for the reconstruction in the Turkish-controlled areas in Syria to be used – a claim that is rejected by a majority of EU States.

Turkey is trying with the forced flow of migrants towards the EU external border to build pressure, it is called in Brussels. The EU was still to the refugee Convention. Von der Leyen made it clear that they are opposed to the actions of the Turkey, to explain the limits to the EU for open. You acknowledge that Turkey is in a difficult Situation: "But what we see now, may not be the answer or solution." The dialogue with Turkey will be intensified, therefore, on all political levels.

The EU leaders want to avoid at any price a new edition of 2015, as at the peak of the refugee crisis tens of thousands of migrants and asylum-seekers in an uncontrolled manner reached the end of via Greece to Germany. Stephan Israel, Brussels

Created: 02.03.2020, 20:00 Uhr