Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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229. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has raised at European Union or United Nations level the question of Turkey’s status as a safe state for refugees being overturned; the efforts being made to stop the process of refugees being returned to Turkey; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8871/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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Turkey has a key role to play in resolving the current migration crisis, as most of the migrants and refugees who have entered the EU since early 2015 have travelled via Turkey. The EU and Turkey have engaged deeply on developing joint approaches and the EU’s engagement with Turkey was the focus of the most recent European Council on 17 and 18 March 2016.

The core intention of the EU-Turkey agreement which emerged from the Council is to break the business model of the people smugglers who are profiting from the suffering of the vulnerable. Critically, it should stop people getting into unsafe boats and risking their lives. The need to comply with international law was at the heart of the discussions leading to the Agreement.

All migrants will be protected in accordance with the relevant international standards and in respect of the principle of non-refoulement.The EU and Turkey have agreed that there will be no blanket returns and no automatic returns of asylum seekers: all migrants/refugees arriving in Greece who wish to claim asylum will have their applications processed individually by the Greek authorities in accordance with the Asylum Procedures Directive, in cooperation with the European Asylum Support Office (EASO). In addition, the €3 billion Facility for refugees in Turkey is aimed at supporting Syrians and other refugees by providing access to food, shelter, education, and healthcare. This funding has been accelerated and, as of 19 April, €187 million has been committed to the Facility.

Steps to address the migration challenge are also continuing outside of the EU-Turkey framework. In addition to the humanitarian aid provided by Ireland, we agreed last year to accept up to 4,000 migrants, despite our opt-out from EU legislation in the area of freedom, security and justice. Last year the Irish Naval service rescued 8,592 migrants from the Mediterranean Sea.

More broadly, the issue of human rights in Turkey has been raised by the Taoiseach at the European Council and continues to form an integral part of the country’s Enlargement process.