Breathing space: the impact of the EU-Turkey deal on irregular migration

This research paper examines the impact and stability of the €6 billion migration agreement between the European Union and Turkey, noting that while it initially reduced irregular crossings and disrupted smuggling operations, the deal is now threatened by Turkey's internal political and economic instability.

• The €6 billion agreement between the European Union and Turkey successfully caused a significant decrease in the number of irregular crossings and disrupted the growth of the criminal smuggling industry.
• The stability of the EU-Turkey deal is currently threatened by the Erdogan administration's increasing friction with the EU, driven by internal dissent, terror threats, and economic failure, leaving the EU without a credible alternative should the deal collapse.

APA

Reitano, T., & Micallef, M. (n.d.). Breathing space: the impact of the EU-Turkey deal on irregular migration. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/papers/breathing-space-the-impact-of-the-eu-turkey-deal-on-irregular-migration

Chicago

Reitano, Tuesday, and Mark Micallef. Breathing space: the impact of the EU-Turkey deal on irregular migration. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/papers/breathing-space-the-impact-of-the-eu-turkey-deal-on-irregular-migration.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Reitano |first1=Tuesday |last2=Micallef |first2=Mark |title=Breathing space: the impact of the EU-Turkey deal on irregular migration |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/research/papers/breathing-space-the-impact-of-the-eu-turkey-deal-on-irregular-migration |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{reitanondbreathing, author = {Reitano, Tuesday and Micallef, Mark}, title = {{Breathing space: the impact of the EU-Turkey deal on irregular migration}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/papers/breathing-space-the-impact-of-the-eu-turkey-deal-on-irregular-migration}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }