CCTV9英语新闻：EU & Turkish leaders face migrant crisis at Brussels summit

EU leaders and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu gather for a group photo during an extraordinary summit of European Union leaders with Turkey at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, March 7, 2016. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

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BRUSSELS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) and Turkey on Monday discussed new proposals to tackle the exacerbated migrant crisis which was imperiling the bloc's passport-free policy.

French President Francois Hollande, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and European Council President Donald Tusk (from L to R) and EU leaders gather for a group photo during an extraordinary summit of European Union leaders with Turkey at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, March 7, 2016. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

The scheduled half-day EU-Turkey summit which gathered European leaders and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was prolonged into late Monday. Media reported that Davutoglu surprised his European leaders with new proposals.

Ankara asked extra 3 billion euros (3.30 billion U.S. dollars) from the EU for aid to help stem the massive migrant flows as the country was hosting millions of refugees, mainly from war-torn Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, who were keen to cross Turkish border to seek asylums in Europe.

Brussels already promised to provide 3 billion euros to Ankara to tackle the migrant crisis in November last year. But the Turkish side complained ahead of the summit that the EU has not delivered the fund yet.

Turkey reportedly promised to make more efforts to help solve the EU's migrant crisis at the summit. Crucially, Davutoglu outlined proposals to resettle one Syrian refugee in Europe for every Syrian returned to Turkey from the Greek islands.

European officials were investigating whether a one-for-one resettlement program was "legally and logistically possible", media reported.

Turkey also wanted to speed up its accession process to the bloc. On his arrival Monday morning, Davutoglu told reporters that the summit could be a "turning point" for its membership bid.

"Turkey is ready to be a member of the EU as well," he said.

Europe was experiencing the worst migrant crisis after the Second World War. Greece, a front line country in the migrant crisis, was currently seeing some 2,000 refugees arriving on its shores each day.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (L) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel speak as they and EU leaders gather for a group photo during an extraordinary summit of European Union leaders with Turkey at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, March 7, 2016. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (1st L) talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel (2nd R) and EU leaders at a group photo session during an extraordinary summit of European Union leaders with Turkey at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, March 7, 2016. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)