EU countries have agreed to step up border security to combat unwanted migration between France and the United Kingdom. The reason for the emergency consultation is the boat accident this week, killing 27 migrants.
From 1 December, the European border security service Frontex will deploy a plane to check the coastal areas of France, Belgium and the Netherlands for people smugglers. The Channel Tunnel and ferries have been subject to much stricter security in recent years, so migrants are more likely to choose the dangerous sea route with dinghies.
The countries also want to exchange information better and carry out joint border checks. And it must become more difficult to get inflatable boats. Earlier, a sports store in Calais decided to remove canoes, boats and kayaks from the shelves because they “may endanger the lives of users”.
British absent
The emergency meeting in Calais Town Hall was attended by representatives of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, the European Commission, Frontex and Europol. Great absentee was the United Kingdom.
Since the boat accident, France and the UK have accused each other of doing too little to prevent migration. An critical letter from Prime Minister Johnson to President Macron fell wrong with the French, who withdrew the invitation to the British to participate in the consultations.
Ministers of the other countries have pushed for cooperation with the United Kingdom. “The consultation was not anti-English, it was pro-European,” French minister and host Gérald Darmanin defended. “We are willing to cooperate with our British allies.”
–
