The EU – Turkey statement as a result of the refugee crisis in 2015 - 2016: Did the EU stay loyal to its values?

Refugees and migration in general are not a modern phenomenon. Throughout history, people have migrated from one place to another. Europe has “attracted” a lot of people that tried to reach it for different reasons and through different channels. Due to the long-term warfare and/or instability in the Middle East, the EU experienced a massive influx of refugees and migrants in 2015 and 2016. The inflow was that big that it was described as a crisis. In order to deal with the situation the EU decided to cooperate with a country that hosted a large number of refugees and was the main way that refugees were using to arrive in EU: Turkey. The EU – Turkey Statement negotiated among the Member States and Turkey was signed on March 18, 2016. Since then it has been criticized a lot. This paper is focusing on the EU values and questions if the EU stayed loyal to them based on the EU – Turkey Statement.