Ceci n'est pas un agreement: the treachery of EU migration policies

The author criticises the EU-Turkey deal reached on 18 March 2016, asserting that it fails to end irregular migration and instead leads to human rights violations, including the forced return of migrants and appalling detention conditions in Greece. The text argues that the EU is using non-binding 'statements' to avoid democratic scrutiny and parliamentary oversight. It proposes alternatives such as the yearly resettlement of 500,000 refugees over six years, humanitarian admission programmes, and labour mobility programs to replace the current focus on deterrence and criminalisation.

• The EU-Turkey deal of 18 March 2016 implements a policy of blanket returns for all new irregular migrants arriving in Greece after 20 March 2016. In exchange, the EU agreed to accelerate visa liberalisation for Turkish nationals, increase financial support for refugees in Turkey, and voluntarily resettle up to 72,000 people, which represents only 3% of registered Syrian refugees in Turkey.
• Implementation of the deal has resulted in the forced return of 343 people from Greece to Turkey and the resettlement of 103 Syrian asylum seekers under a "1:1" principle. In Greece, this has led to the systematic detention of refugees, including children and people with disabilities, in appalling conditions.
• The deal ignores international human rights obligations and the fact that Turkey does not fully apply the Geneva Convention, only offers temporary protection to Syrians, lacks protection paths for non-Syrian refugees from Asia or the Middle East, and engages in violent refoulement at the Syrian border.
• EU leaders are accused of using non-binding "statements" rather than formal agreements to avoid democratic scrutiny and the jurisdiction of European courts. This model of bilateral third-country cooperation has been proposed for extension to African countries of origin and transit via the Italian Prime Minister's "Migration Compact".
• The author proposes a rational alternative to the current deterrence-based policy, including the resettlement of 500,000 refugees annually for six years from transit countries. Other suggested tools include humanitarian admission programmes, private sponsorships, flexible family reunification, student scholarships, and labour mobility programs.

APA

Manieri, M. G. (2016). Ceci n'est pas un agreement: the treachery of EU migration policies. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/ceci-nest-pas-un-agreement-the-treachery-of-eu-migration-policies/

Chicago

Manieri, Maria Giovanna. Ceci n'est pas un agreement: the treachery of EU migration policies. Green European Journal, 2016. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/ceci-nest-pas-un-agreement-the-treachery-of-eu-migration-policies/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Manieri |first1=Maria Giovanna |title=Ceci n'est pas un agreement: the treachery of EU migration policies |publisher=Green European Journal |date=29 April 2016 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/ceci-nest-pas-un-agreement-the-treachery-of-eu-migration-policies/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{manieri2016ceci, author = {Manieri, Maria Giovanna}, title = {{Ceci n'est pas un agreement: the treachery of EU migration policies}}, publisher = {Green European Journal}, year = {2016}, month = apr, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/ceci-nest-pas-un-agreement-the-treachery-of-eu-migration-policies/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }