Brussels, 21/06/2016 (Agence Europe) - During a hearing on the EU/Turkey declaration and agreement of 18 March, members of the European Parliament Civil Liberties Committee (LIBE) called on the European Commission on Tuesday 21 June to investigate allegations in the press that fatal shots have been fired against Syrian refugees by Turkish border guards. The parliamentary committee asked whether the agreement between the EU and Turkey could continue in these circumstances.
The Commission presented MEPs with a balance sheet on this agreement that was positive overall. It pointed out that it had helped to reduce the number of migrants arriving Greece and had reduced the number of deaths in the Aegean Sea. These developments, however, remain fragile, given that according to the Commission, the number of returns of irregular migrants to Turkey remains too low, with only 468 people being sent back to Turkey since the agreement, including 31 Syrians.
The Commission explained that this pace was due to respect for Community and international law and the fact that the Greek appeal bodies had on several occasions refused to allow for the transfer of asylum seekers to Turkey, which it believes is proof that the "law is being fully respected". The Commission also emphasised that almost all migrants had submitted requests for asylum even if they do not have the right, which means that the appropriate Greek authorities have to spend a certain time on examining their dossiers "on an individual basis". The Commission representative explained that "this is what really is happening".
Some MEPs also raised the question of the composition of the Greek appeals bodies, which the Commission sought to influence in an effort to speed up implementation of 18 March agreement. The Commission official said "At no moment had the Commission requested Greece to amend its legislation on the appeals bodies".
With regard to the allegations that Turkish forces had fired on refugees at the Syrian border, the Commission provided assurances that it had been in contact with the Turkish authorities who had "strongly denied these allegations". The Commission representative said "this is not the first time that we have heard this; it is not a systematic policy but it is true that access to the border is more difficult than at the beginning of the crisis". The Commission had indeed heard of the incidents that had involved "bullets" but said that this involved "local incidents" and "is not systematic". The Commission official promised that the Commission was monitoring things closely and provided assurances that the Commission had access to the camps in Turkey to assess the situation there. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)