
Koenders, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, made the remarks during a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

"The [EU] member states intend to allocate two thirds of the requested amount for financing the mechanism. Contributions will be calculated according to national GDP," he said.
His statement came as Italy continues to block the European Commission's move to allocate three billion euros in EU money to curb the influx of refugees into EU countries.
While Turkey asks for more $, Merkel wants Turkey to step up to its "key role" in stemming the flow of migrants pic.twitter.com/TLcL5MERIW
— Jenna Abrams (@Jenn_Abrams) 24 января 2016
On November 29, 2015, the European Union and Turkey approved a joint plan under which EU member states will give about three billion euros to Ankara and fast track negotiations for its accession to the 28-nation bloc.
Earlier, the European Commission endorsed the creation of a special 3-billion-euro fund for refugees in Turkey. The EC itself had planned to allocate 500 million to the fund, while the EU countries were to cover the remaining 2.5 billion euros.

Turkey remains a key transit route for refugees. Right now, more than 2.5 million Syrian refugees and 300,000 Iraqi migrants are living temporarily in Turkey; many of them seek to travel onwards to Europe. According to Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany, Turkey plays a key role in solving the migration crisis in Europe.










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| 2 | Edit | Delete Do all of the EU states understand that they are really paying Erdogan to send more people? Rewarding bad behavior just creates more of it. Reply 
| 2 | Edit | Delete jas, no kidding. Reply 
| 2 | Edit | Delete If there weren't the fates of these refugees to consider, they should just slap Erdogan in the face and introduce strictest sanctions and visa requirements against Turkey as Russia has done. Reply 
| 1 | Edit | Delete I do not understand how so dumb people can lead so many countries. Reply 
| 1 | Edit | Delete this is so WRONG....I am against paying anything to Turkey...Turkey should pay...
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I wish I could screw everything up...make problems, destroy countries and get paid for it...then ask for MORE money because I did such a great job.
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