[se2009.eu] The October 2009 European Council has welcomed the beginning of the reinforced dialogue on migration with Turkey and called for concrete steps to be rapidly taken, in particular as regards readmission and border control. Today, the EU and Turkey have agreed to intensify their cooperation to meet the common challenge of stemming irregular migration. A number of joint actions have been agreed upon by the European Commission Vice President Jacques Barrot, the Swedish Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy Tobias Billström representing the European Union Presidency and the Turkish Minister of Interior of Turkey Beşir Atalay.
On this occasion Vice-President Jacques Barrot, stated "Irregular immigration is a matter of major concern both for the EU and Turkey. This is why we believe that any effective response towards irregular immigration needs to be one in which we – the EU, its Member States and Turkey – engage together". He added "Many of the problems that Turkey faces are similar to what the EU needs to deal with. In that sense we have a common problem in our hands, and to address it we could both benefit from intensified cooperation."
Minister Billström said: "The agreement on a regular dialogue between the EU and Turkey, covering a broad range of migration issues, will enable us to gain a deeper understanding of each others challenges – and to identify solutions for them". Concurring with the statement of Vice-President Barrot, Minister Billström added: "Representing the EU Presidency, our intention is to channel the new momentum in these discussions to the benefit also for the accession negotiations. Rapid progress should be possible with both EU and Turkey demonstrating a pragmatic approach in these matters".
Turkish Minister of Interior Beşir Atalay said: "Sincere cooperation against illegal migration is indispensable for both Turkey and the EU. It is a major and common challenge. Both Turkey and the EU Member States are affected by this phenomenon. Cooperation with the EU in this regard will have a deterring effect on illegal migration towards our region. In the absence of a fruitful cooperation it is certain that both sides will suffer deeply from the increasing pressure of illegal migration."
Joint Statement
of the Minister of Interior of the Republic Turkey Beşir Atalay,
the Swedish Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy Tobias Billström representing the European Union Presidency and
the European Commission Vice President Jacques Barrot
Turkey and the European Union agree to intensify their cooperation to meet the common challenge of managing migration flows and to tackle irregular migration in particular. Taking into account geographical realities and building on Turkey’s efforts as a negotiating country for accession to the EU, this cooperation will express the commitment of both sides to international burden sharing, solidarity, joint responsibility and common understanding.
In this context Turkey and the EU agree to:
1) Establish a regular dialogue on mobility, migration, asylum and visa between senior officials;
2) Reinforce their cooperation in the area of visa policy and related areas, with a view to further promoting people to people contacts, starting with ensuring the efficient application of the European Court of Justice Soysal/Savatlı decision and other relevant decisions on Turkish Service providers‘ rights stemming from the 1970 Additional Protocol;
3) The resumption of the formal negotiations on the Turkey-EC readmission agreement is noted as a positive step and their timely conclusion as a shared aim;
4) Combine their efforts to conclude and implement effective and workable readmission agreements with relevant countries of origin and transit for both EU and Turkey;
5) Formally approve and implement the working arrangement between Turkey and FRONTEX on which agreement has now been reached at technical level.
In an effort to achieve these objectives, the EU stands ready to consider additional assistance, both technical and financial, in particular in the areas of migration and border management and surveillance, the fight against irregular migration and trafficking in and smuggling of human beings and assistance to asylum seekers and refugees.
Source: http://www.se2009.eu
