At the summit between the EU and Turkey on 7 March, it was agreed that Turkey will take back the refugees that have arrived in Greece through its territory, in exchange for significant financial aid. For Cengiz Aktar, whose newspaper has been shut down by the Ankara government, the EU has abandoned its values in its dealings with aregime without scruples.

Instead of aiming for a partial and shaky agreement to redistribute refugees between unwilling members states, the EU should launch a programme similar in scale to the American’s Marshall Plan for Europe after the Second World War.

Recently found documents suggest the former Solidarity leader had been cooperating with the Communist secret police in the 1970s. Although Wałęsa says they are fakes, the ruling right-wing party has seized the opportunity to trash the former president’s legacy.

The refugee crisis has given the Kremlin an opportunity to implement a policy of confronting Europe, taking advantage of its current weaknesses and divisions, says a German columnist.