UK renegotiation of EU membership

A Turkish-EU deal on migrants is yielding positive results, the European Commission said on Dec. 8, but no progress was made on the issue of visa-free travel for Turks even though the process has been unblocked for Ukrainians and Georgians.

"Our comprehensive European approach on migration is showing positive results," European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans said.

Turkey's crackdown on the media and reported human rights abuses are pushing the country further away from Europe even as it hopes to join the European Union, a senior official for the bloc has said.

A highly contested EU deal with Turkey may not be ideal, but it is the only solution to stem the migration crisis, the bloc's Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Christos Stylianides said Thursday.

The deal in which Turkey agrees to take back certain migrants fleeing to Greece in exchange for visa-free travel in the EU has angered member countries and rights activists.

Click through to see our selection of images showing the arrival in Turkey of the first migrants under the EU deal

British Prime Minister David Cameron has secured allowance to a ban on in-work benefits for EU migrant workers, at a meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk.

The step will be enforced if London votes to stay in the EU. Other member states will also have to agree to the proposal.

The Heads of State or Government of the EU member states will convene at a meeting of the European Council in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.

Among the main topics of discussion will be: the fight against terrorism; migration; Economic and Monetary Union; the single market; UK referendum on EU membership.

Newly re-elected British Prime Minister David Cameron will have his first talks with other European Union leaders on May 22 on reforms he is seeking to the EU before holding a referendum by 2017 on Britain's membership of the bloc.