EU vows 'no blanket returns' of migrants to Turkey

The EU denied Wednesday that its planned deal to return all migrants who land in Greece to Turkey would break international law, saying there would be no mass expulsions.

European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans also said there would be no "free ride" for Turkey under the deal and that Ankara would need to take agreed steps to win visa-free travel for Turks to the EU.

"There can be no blanket returns," Timmermans told a press conference on the eve of a summit at which Brussels and Ankara hope to seal the agreement.

"We are not turning our back on the refugees because they will be assured adequate international protection, either in the EU or in Turkey."

Timmermans added: "Returns can only take place in accordance with the international and EU legal framework... the case of each person needs to be assessed individually in the light of the charter of fundamental rights and European directives."

Asylum seekers also need the "full possibility" of an appeal, he said.

Under the plan hailed as a "game-changer", Turkey would seek to stop the dangerous sea journeys of refugees and take back all illegal migrants from Greece.

For each Syrian it takes back, it would send another one on to the EU in a more orderly redistribution programme -- a plan Timmermans said would be "temporary and exceptional."

EU President Donald Tusk who will host the summit has admitted the deal needs to be "rebalanced", especially in terms of whether it is legal when it comes to the right to seek asylum and how such a request is processed.

Timmermans meanwhile insisted that the EU was not going easy on Turkey -- a long-term candidate for EU membership -- on issues such as human rights and visas in order to secure a deal.

"We are certainly not giving Turkey a free ride," he said.