EU countries are divided on whether or not to agree a controversial deal on migration with Turkey ahead of a two-day leaders’ summit on 17-18 March.

Iain Duncan Smith, the UK’s Work and Pensions Secretary and Leave campaigner, has told The Times that David Cameron should veto the “dangerous” deal, and that the plan to give Turkish citizens visa-free access to the Schengen free travel area meant that more migrants were likely to head to northern France and try to enter Britain. The Government will say that under the terms of the deal, Turks have no right of entry to Britain.

Meanwhile, Cyprus has said it will not agree to open more “chapters” in Turkey’s EU membership bid, a Turkish demand, until Ankara recognises the Nicosia government in the southern half of the partitioned island. Hungary’s Europe Minister Takács Szabolcs said that the EU should be ready to “defend herself alone” if an agreement cannot be struck with Ankara. He added that the proposal to relocate refugees directly from Turkey can only work if it is voluntary,

Austrian Defence Minister Hans-Peter Dozkozil told Die Welt, “It is imperative that the Balkan Route remains closed.” He added that Vienna is offering to help Macedonia secure its Greek border, following an incident which saw 1,500 migrants break through it, although most were returned to Greece yesterday.

Meanwhile, Albania has requested help from Italy to close its border amid fears that it will become a new migrant route. EU Foreign Policy Chief, Federica Mogherini, yesterday warned that over 450,000 migrants could try to make the journey to Europe from Libya and Iraq.

Spanish incumbent Europe Minister Fernando Eguidazu will today debate the deal with Spanish MPs, with a view to reaching a common position ahead of the summit. El País reports that the caretaker government has circulated amongst other parties a compromise text, which rejects mass deportations and calls for stronger guarantees on the respect of human rights before recognising Turkey as a “safe third country” to which failed asylum seekers can be returned.

The draft agreement also faces opposition from Angela Merkel’s Bavarian sister party, with CSU Parliamentary leader Gerda Hasselfeldt quoted by Süddeutsche Zeitung as saying, “We don’t want visa liberalisation for Turkey.” European Council President Donald Tusk admitted that proposals need to be “rebalanced,” before they can be agreed by the EU-28, while the UN has warned again that it considers blanket returns of rejected migrants to Turkey to be illegal under EU and international law.

Separately, leading industry associations in France and Germany are calling for temporary border controls within Europe to be lifted. In a statement published today, Ingo Kramer (BDA), Ulrich Grillo (BDI) and Pierre Gattaz (MEDEF) warn that “permanent damage or even destruction of the Schengen system would have dramatic economic and political consequences.”

 Bas les masques, « on » veut la liberté d ‘exploiter et surexploiter !