BRUSSELS, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- An immigration agreement between the European Union and Turkey would help address cross-border crimes across the region, an EU lawmaker said Wednesday.
The European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee endorsed an agreement whereby both sides would return so-called clandestine migrants living secretly in Turkey or in European Union member states.
Renate Sommer, a German member of the European Parliament, said the onus is now on Turkish officials to implement the agreement in full.
"[The agreement] would make a significant contribution to curbing irregular immigration into the EU via Turkey, help combat cross-border crime, particularly human trafficking, and relieve the pressure ... on the EU as a whole," she said in a statement.
Turkey and the European Union are negotiating the steps needed for association. Recently, members of the EU had expressed concerns over recent decisions made in Ankara that would give Prime Minister Recep Teyyip Erdogan tight control over the Justice Ministry
Erdogan met Tuesday in Brussels with European Parliament President Martin Schulz to review membership negotiations.
"Turkey is a key partner for the European Union," Schulz stressed. "If Turkey wasn't so important, then we would not the intense discussion we had today."
