Governance of the External Dimension of Migration: Eu-Turkey Refugee Deal

Mobility partnerships involving readmission agreements and visa liberalisation or facilitation arrangements constitute an important aspect of the EU's migration governance. Although the EU's "Global Approach to Migration and Mobility" rests upon better organizing legal migration as well as preventing irregular migration, the emphasis on the latter has been mouch more emphasized in the recent period. Refugees fleeing war zones such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan have targeted the EU for a better and more secure life. however it seems that most EU Member States have been reluctant to accept refugees, not even honouring their commitments under the relocation and resettlement schemes agreed at the EU level. The President of the European Council Donald Tusk voiced the EU's frustration with the increasing refugee and migrant flow at the G20 Summit in China in the following words: "...the practical capabilities of Europe to host new waves of refugees, not to mention irregular economic migrants, are close to the limits." Under these conditions the EU is mostly turning to countries bordering the Union to engage in  cooperation with the aim of stemming migration. The Refugee deal between Turkey and the EU agreed on March 18 is a good case in point. The paper aims to analyze the EU-Turkey refugee deal from the perspective of the external dimension of EU migration governance and assess its success and sustainability in the face of ever-increasing migration flows targeting Europe.