Schinas: Evros standoff showed EU has ‘capacity,’ ‘political will’ to safeguard external borders

Events on the Greek-Turkish border in the Evros region showed that Ankara does not have the power to exploit refugees to get its way politically, European Commission Vice-President for Promoting the European Way of Life Margaritis Schinas has said.

In an interview with Euronews aired on Monday, the Greek Commissioner said that the European Union now had the capacity, the means and the political will to act fast in order to safeguard its external borders.

Referring to recent remarks by Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu who said that the country’s “open border” policy for anyone wishing to cross into Europe would continue, Schinas said that the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell was in talks with his Turkish counterpart with the aim of updating the 2016 migrant deal between the two sides.

“There should be no doubt in Europe that we need Turkey in the management of migration-related issues and flows,” Schinas told Euronews, however calling for a “solid basis for cooperation with mutual obligations that both sides will respect.”