According to German media reports, the German parliament’s budget committee on Wednesday was considering giving 32 million euros to Turkey to battle people smuggling operations.

The money is intended “to support Turkey in restoring the operational capability of its coast guard,” while a report dated the 23rd February from the German Interior Ministry to the budget committee noted that this capability is currently “not guaranteed at all, due to ongoing rescue operations for refugees and migrants who are in danger and also due to efforts to prevent illegal migration.”

The same document mentions that the expenditure is “unavoidable” as it would otherwise “seriously impair state interests of a political nature.”

Meanwhile German magazine ‘Der Spiegel’ highlighted the fact that Greece was now securing the European Union’s external borders and referred to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to open the “gates” of the European Union to refugees. The article asked whether there will be a repetition of the “refugee summer” of 2015, with the magazine replying that the 2015 scenario “must on no account be repeated.”

In 2015, people from many countries flocked to Turkey in order to travel from there to the EU – for example Syrians who had previously been living in Lebanon and Jordan. However, Turkey has since closed its borders with Syria and those currently at the Greek-Turkish border are mainly those who have been living in Turkey for several years, according to ‘Der Spiegel’.