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EU leaders were on Thursday considering holding a summit with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later this month to seek his help in curbing migrant flows to Europe, European sources said, AFP reports.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was also planning to a table a proposal for member states to contribute 2.5 billion euros toward a three-billion-euro fund to help Turkey cope with refugees on its territory.
An EU source who asked not be named said a proposed summit with Erdogan is "being discussed" but there would be "no decisions, no agreement on timing, format" taken during the informal meeting of European Union leaders in Malta.
Another EU source requesting anonymity said the date of 22 November was "being raised by several member states" as a possible date to discuss his help in return for easing Europe's worst migrant crisis since World War II.
In return for its help, Turkey has demanded the EU provide three billion euros ($3.3 billion) a year in funding and visa-free travel for Turkish nationals. It also wants an end to the stalemate in talks for Ankara to join the 28-nation bloc and for Brussels to resume inviting Turkish leaders to EU summits.
Two sources also said Juncker was "putting on the table" a proposal for member states to raise 2.5 billion euros while the commission, the EU executive, would put up the rest.
"We are going to give 500 million euros. We need 2.5 billion euros from the member states," the source said.
"This is about showing to Turkey that they are equal partners," the source said.
