Signed a year ago to halt the influx of migrants into Europe, a EU-Turkey deal now appears on shaky ground as Turkish ministers threaten to scrap it following diplomatic tensions between Germany and Turkey.
Since Ankara and Brussels forged the controversial migrant deal in March 2016, many have hailed it a success for substantially lessening the flow of migrants, drastically reducing the number of migrant deaths in the Mediterranean Sea and bringing European borders back under control.
Turkey took on the role of the EU’s migrant gatekeeper after it agreed to control the mass influx of migrants in exchange for €6 billion and a promise to fast-track European Union membership talks and visa-free travel for its nationals.
But, one year on, there is a very real possibility the deal could unravel, the chief architect of the deal, Gerald Knaus, head of the European Stability Initiative, told
Germany’s daily Deutsche Welle (DW).