The EU has agreed to launch a new mission in the Mediterranean to monitor the UN-mandated arms embargo on Libya. NGOs are critical of the bloc's policy on fighting human smuggling and arms trafficking.
Germany has halted transfers of asylum seekers within Europe because of the coronavirus pandemic. However, no general suspension of deportations to third countries has yet been announced.
Turkish government sources say the aim of the video call is to rework a 2016 deal that obliges Turkey to prevent refugees entering the EU in return for financial aid.
The international newspaper The New York Times published a report on March 10 in which it accused the Greek government of detaining migrants at a “secret extrajudicial location before expelling them to Turkey without due process.” The Greek government dismissed the claims.
The EU should deliver on visa liberalization and trade to keep the refugee deal in place, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said. Ankara recently stated it would no longer stop refugees from going to Greece.
Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with EU leadership amid a migrant crisis at the Turkish-Greek border. Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel expressed a commitment to the 2016 EU-Turkey refugee pact.
Members and supporters of German far-right groups have been involved in clashes with demonstrators on the Greek island of Lesbos. The right-wing activists have traveled to Greece, they say, to show solidarity with islanders and defend Europe's borders against migrants.
The EU has advised the 12,500 migrants gathered at the Greek border that "illegal crossings will not be tolerated." France's top diplomat accused Ankara of "blackmail" after Turkey decided to open its borders to Europe.
The German government has issued a strong rebuttal to Turkey's claim that 'the door is open' to Europe. Thousands of people have rushed to the land and sea borders between Turkey and Greece, but few have managed to cross.
Thousands of migrants and refugees have gathered at the Turkish-Greek border, desperate to make it into the European Union. DW correspondent Tunca Ögreten spent two days there, and reports a volatile situation.
The president of the European Commission has pledged millions of euros and a fresh deployment of border guards to manage a new wave of migration. The flare-up on the border follows tension between the EU and Turkey.
The Turkish president has vowed to keep the border with Greece open to migrants. Germany has called on Turkey to respect its €6 billion deal with the EU to control migration.