* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
It is naïve to think that this deal will have a sizeable effect on the number of refugees trying to reach Europe
As the EU deal with Turkey regarding Syrian migrants begins in practice, many aid agencies have argued that it is unethical, illegal and impractical.
At the core of the agreement is the supposed ‘one-for-one’ proposal, whereby all refugees coming across the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece who don’t apply for asylum or whose claim is rejected will be sent back to Turkey. For every one Syrian refugee that is returned to Turkey, another from a refugee camp in Turkey will be resettled within the EU.
Political considerations aside, it must be noted that Turkey has largely led the way on efforts to host Syrian refugees following the current crisis. More than half of all the 4.8 million registered Syrian refugees are hosted in Turkey and the country has recently granted refugees the right to access work and public healthcare legally.
This is a real milestone, a crucial support for refugees which will allow them make valuable contributions to the Turkish society and economy. It should also not be forgotten that, along with Turkey, it is the countries in the region that are hosting the vast majority of refugees, countries with much less resources and capacity to respond than Europe.
Although the primary motivation for the deal is to stem the flow of people entering Europe, there is also a humanitarian consideration - to reduce the tragically high number of people drowning while trying to reach Europe.
But one thing is certain, it will not have a significant effect on the conflict itself, or on the suffering that the conflict is causing, or on the numbers of people fleeing that conflict.
This is perhaps the more worrying aspect of the deal. Aside from legal and ethical considerations, it is a stark example of how EU leaders are consistently not prioritising the root cause of the mass migration in the region - the Syrian conflict. It has always been the primary message of Concern and other aid agencies working in the region that a political solution to the crisis is the only possible way to bring peace to Syria and reduce the flow of refugees into Europe.
At best this deal is an avoidance strategy - a myopic solution to a symptom of a problem, rather than an attempt to try to solve the problem itself. At worst, it is a continuation of Europe dragging its heels during the greatest refugee crisis since the Second World War, and may force migrants into even more perilous routes when fleeing the conflict. The broader impact of this strategy may be that it sends a signal to other countries outside of Europe that are hosting refugees, that avoiding responsibility to take in refugees is now acceptable.
It is utterly naïve to think that a change in policy such as this deal will have a sizeable effect on the number of refugees trying to reach Europe. Only events within Syria will have an effect on that.
If EU leaders are serious about attempting to deal with the crisis, they must turn their heads from Ankara to Geneva, to a refocus on peace talks. The situation in Syria is indisputably catastrophic but the current cessation of hostilities has resulted in a dramatic decrease in bloodshed and created some momentum for dialogue that should be seized upon.
We have no right to not act. We have no right to not hope. We have no right to shut our doors and give up on the Syrian people.
It is time for Europe to take a leading role in dealing with this conflict, not simply the human fallout of it.
The deal must be renegotiated with the UN at its centre. After all, they have been doing this type of work for over 60 years and they will be an integral part of any implementation, if it is to be in any way workable.
Dominic MacSorley is the CEO of Concern Worldwide
