European Union (EU) leaders agreed early Friday to implement existing agreements concerning the ongoing migration crisis hitting Europe, especially cooperation with Turkey in handling the crisis.
"The full and speedy implementation of the EU-Turkey Action Plan remains a priority, in order to stem migration flows and to tackle traffickers and smugglers networks," the leaders concluded during a two-day summit.
The action plan is a document signed in Nov. 2014 between Turkey and the EU, in which Turkey agrees to protect EU borders from the flood of refugees in exchange for three billion U.S. dollars and a new look at its EU membership bid.
European Council President Donald Tusk said in a joint press conference with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker that the EU was to organize a special meeting with Turkey at the beginning of March. The EU leaders welcomed NATO's support in monitoring illegal crossings on the Aegean sea and called on all NATO members to support this measure actively.
The meeting also called for unity of all EU institutions and member states. "We must look for a synthesis of different approaches. There is no good alternative to a comprehensive European plan," Tusk said.
A joint effort is needed to solve the migration crisis, Juncker said,"solo, national approach is not recommendable." Junker's words were seen as directed at Austria, which drew fire from other EU states for deciding to cap the number of migrants it takes in.
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