The European Trade Union Confederation has called for the immediate suspension of the EU-Turkey Agreement on refugees following the fatal shooting by Turkish border guards of children, women and men trying to escape Syria, and amid reports from human rights organisations that over 60 Syrian refugees have been shot at the border this year.
Luca Visentini, ETUC General Secretary, said “International law requires nations to offer shelter to refugees. It seems that today’s EU does not care about international law, or indeed about human life.”
“First borders were closed and walls started going up. Then the EU began paying Turkey to keep refugees out of Europe. Now Turkey is shooting refugees trying to enter the country. How many people have got to be shot or drown before the European Union adopts a more humanitarian strategy?”
The ETUC has written to Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker demanding that the EU-Turkey deal be suspended immediately, and ended by the European Council meeting next week.
For more information, see in annex the letter sent to both Presidents.
