Merkel praises Turkey for handling refugees

German Chancellor Angela Merkel praised Turkey on Thursday for its handling of refugees, saying the EU has obligations in this regard under the EU-Turkey deal.

"I will also make clear that Turkey is doing a great job on the refugees and that we have obligations under the EU-Turkey deal," Merkel said at the start of the EU summit in Brussells.

"We have promised 3 billion euros for the coming years in addition to the 3 billion that we have already committed. We need to deliver on this promise," she added. 

Turkey and the EU signed the deal in March last year, aimed at discouraging irregular migration through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving conditions of nearly 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey. 

The deal included a $6.8 billion aid package to help Turkey care for millions of refugees hosted in the country. 

Turkey on the other hand has spent more than 30 billion dollars on the refugees since the conflict in neighbouring Syria began in 2011.

The 2016 deal was also meant to facilitate EU visas for Turkish citizens, a clause that Ankara says has not been fulfilled.

"Constitutional solution" to Catalonia crisis

Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron voiced strong support for Madrid in the Catalan independence crisis, backing the Spanish government's response to the country's worst political crisis in decades.

EU leaders closed ranks behind Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, saying the standoff over Catalonia's independence drive must be settled within the provisions of Spain's constitution.

The show of unity comes as Madrid vowed to take back some of the Catalan regional government's powers and its leader warned he could declare independence, deepening the crisis still further.

"We back the position of the Spanish government," Merkel said as she arrived for the summit. 

"We hope there are solutions found on the basis of the Spanish constitution."

Brussels has insisted the dispute over Catalonia's independence referendum is an internal matter for key EU member Spain, backing Madrid's position that the vote was illegal, but calling for dialogue.

Theresa May seeks urgent Brexit plan

British Prime Minister Theresa May urged EU leaders to urgently set out plans to move forward with Brexit negotiations, in particular on the rights of European nationals, as they prepared to delay key trade talks until at least December.

May accepted that her 27 European Union counterparts were unlikely to agree that there has been enough progress on divorce issues to move on to a second phase, saying the meeting was intended to "take stock".

TRT World's Simon McGregor-Wood has more on the story. 

But she urged them to start preparations to discuss trade and a transition deal at the next summit in December, telling reporters they would be "setting out ambitious plans for the weeks ahead".

In a move to sway EU leaders on what is a key topic for them, May published an open letter to the three million EU citizens living in Britain on Thursday promising they would not be asked to leave after Brexit in March 2019.

She said a deal to secure their rights was "within touching distance" - but also told reporters that she wanted EU leaders to show "an urgency in reaching an agreement".

EU President Donald Tusk warned he did "not expect any kind of breakthrough", saying that while there had been "promising progress", London needed to come up with more concrete proposals.

EU leaders are increasingly vocal about their frustration at divisions in May's cabinet over Brexit, saying they are still unsure what Britain wants.