The European Union and Turkey struck a preliminary deal Tuesday to block the vast waves of migrants crossing the Aegean Sea, effectively agreeing to slam shut the back door into Europe still being traversed by tens of thousands of asylum seekers fleeing war in the Middle East.
The deal, to be ironed out over the next 10 days, could dramatically alter the regions refugee crisis, sealing off the single biggest corridor for irregular migration into Europe. From across the developing world but especially the Middle East, more than a million desperate people over the past 12 months have rushed to the jagged Turkish coast, where a new life in Europe is only a short if risky journey west by smugglers raft.
But even before the deal was finalized, the practical impact was being felt on the ground Tuesday evening, as Serbia announced it would allow entry only to people who have valid papers to travel in Europe. In a statement on the Serbian Interior Ministrys website, the government said it was reacting to a similar move by Slovenia and needed to protect itself from becoming a collection center for migrants.
To keep the migrants from their doorstep, the Europeans are now willing to pay a lot. Already promised some $3.3 billion to do more to contain the crisis, Turkey a nation whose authoritarian leader is cracking down on freedoms at home would now be paid double that.