Merkel calls for EU-Africa migrant deals

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday said the European Union needed to establish migrant deals with African countries such as Egypt and Tunisia along the lines of the agreement it already has with Turkey. She also said more must be spent on development aid to deal with the root causes of migration, adding that it […]

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday said the European Union needed to establish migrant deals with African countries such as Egypt and Tunisia along the lines of the agreement it already has with Turkey.
She also said more must be spent on development aid to deal with the root causes of migration, adding that it was critical “to prevent a repeat of the situation seen last summer”.
The arrival then of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond marked Europe’s biggest migrant crisis since World War Two.
“It’s important that we give the African countries perspectives for the future,” Merkel said during a conference on tourism. “We either have to let people come to us, or we have to combat the root causes of migration so that people see prospects for staying there, close to their homes.”
The EU and Turkey agreed in March that Ankara would stem the flow of illegal migrants to Europe in exchange for financial aid and the promise of visa-free travel.