EU Council Head Sees First Signs of EU Consensus on Migrant Crisis Solution

President of the European Council Donald Tusk said on Friday that he had observed the first glimpses of a consensus among EU member states on a common strategy to tackle the migration crisis.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Monday, Brussels will host the EU-Turkey joint summit, where the leadership of the two countries will address the burning issue of migration crisis. In particular, the meeting is expected to focus on measures that will lead to EU member states equitably sharing responsibility for refugees arriving in the bloc and to working out a collective approach to the issue.

"For the first time since the beginning of the migration crisis, I can see a European consensus emerging. It is a consensus around a comprehensive strategy that, if loyally implemented, can help stem the flows and tackle the crisis," Tusk said in an invitation letter to the members states.

Tusk noted that following his visits to Ankara and a number of EU states he witnessed the states determination to find the consensus that would work, emphasizing the importance of loyalty to the Schengen agreement.

In late November 2015, the European Commission held a joint summit with Turkey. Following the meeting, a deal was agreed upon, under which Turkey promised to prevent refugees currently in the country or arriving there from reaching Europe in return for financial assistance in 2016-2017 and renewed talks on its EU accession.