Merkel unhappy with draft statement on ‘closed’ Balkan route, reports say

Speaking ahead of a special EU summit with Turkey on the ongoing migration crisis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday voiced objections over a draft statement saying that the so-called Balkan route “is now closed,” according to reports.

Merkel, who has been pushing for the implementation of an EU deal with Ankara, reportedly said in Brussels that the bloc’s response to the problem “cannot be about closing things.”