Courtesy of Mish.
When you make a deal with the devil, it’s certain the devil will insist you keep up your end of the bargain.
That’s precisely where we are at today in regards to the European refugee crisis.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel signed off on a deal with the devil (Turkey) that would give 80 million Turkish Muslims visa-free access to the EU. As part of the deal, Turkey will receive €3 billion in aid.
In return, Turkey agreed to halt the flow of refugees pouring into Greece.
Turkey did stop the flow of refugees into Greece, and now the devil wants his due.
“Growing Panic”
The Financial Times reports EU States Grow Wary as Turkey Presses for Action on Visas Pledge.
European diplomats are agonising over their politically perilous promise to grant visa-free travel to 80m Turks, amid strong warnings from Ankara that the EU migration deal will fold without a positive visa decision by June.
The EU’s month-old deal to return migrants from Greece to Turkey has dramatically cut flows across the Aegean, easing what had been an acute migration crisis. But the pact rests on sweeteners for Ankara that the EU is struggling to deliver — above all, giving Turkish citizens short-term travel rights to Europe’s Schengen area.
Germany, France and other countries nervous of a political backlash over Muslim migration have started exploring options to make the concession more politically palatable, including through safeguard clauses, extra conditions or watered-down terms. The political calculations are further complicated by looming EU visa decisions for Ukraine, Georgia and Kosovo.
One senior EU official said the search for alternatives reflected “growing panic” in Berlin and Paris over the looming need to deliver the pledge. The various options, the official added, were “a political smokescreen” to muster support in the Bundestag and European Parliament, which must also vote on the measures.
The Turkish visa issue has even flared in Britain’s EU referendum campaign, forcing David Cameron, the prime minister, to clarify on Wednesday that Turks could not automatically come to the UK if they were granted visa rights to the 26-member Schengen area.
Devil Chimes In
