Where Are We Five Years After The EU-Turkey Migration Deal?

Speakers:

• Olivia Sundberg Diez, Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre
• Omar Kadkoy, Policy Analyst, The Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey
• Pinar Uyan Semerci, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities and Director, Center for Migration Research, Istanbul Bilgi University

Moderator

• Kadri Tastan, GMF-TOBB Senior Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Turkey is an essential transit point for asylum seekers wishing to enter Europe and one of the world's largest refugee-hosting countries. Despite Turkey’s efforts to improve their conditions, refugees and migrants face major disadvantages, exasperated by the pandemic. Five years have passed since EU-Turkey Refugee deal was signed to stop the flow of illegal immigration to Europe via Turkey. The European financial aid given to migrants in Turkey is expiring. Originally designed as a joint coordination mechanism to ensure that the needs of refugees and host communities in Turkey are addressed, the 2016 EU-Turkey agreement is perceived as a controversial attempt at solving a major problem.

What is the situation of refugees or migrants in Turkey regarding their economic and social integration? What are the socio-economic dynamics at stake? What is Turkish public opinion on migrants in Turkey? What are the possibilities for cooperation between the EU and Turkey?

Join us to discuss the refugee situation in Turkey, the EU migration policy and the possibilities for cooperation between the EU and Turkey.

If you have any questions, please contact Annika Vollmer at [email protected].

This online event is part of a series of events and analyses organized as part of the GMF-TOBB Fellowship on Turkey, Europe, and Global Issues launched by GMF in partnership with the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) in 2017.