EU’s Refugee Pact With Turkey May Collapse Over Visa Dispute
- Turkey vows to pull out unless EU grants October concessions
- EU leaders seen backing away from pledge on travel controls
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The foundations of Turkey’s agreement with the European Union to curb the flow of migrants into Greece are looking increasingly shaky.
With Turkey battling Islamic State and Kurdish militants both at home and in neighboring Syria, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insists he won’t scale back the anti-terrorism legislation that European leaders say undermines democratic standards. Even if he did, the EU may no longer be willing to make good on a promise to award visa-free travel to Turkey in return, according to Ian Lesser, senior director for foreign policy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Turkey has pledged to end the pact unless the EU delivers in October.