France and the United Kingdom signed a new agreement on Monday, November 14 to fight together against migrant crossings in the Channel, according to the Ministry of the Interior. On Sunday, the British Ministry of Defense announced that the number of migrants crossing the English Channel since the start of the year had passed the record mark of 40,000.
These crossings have been a source of regular tension for several years between Paris and London. The two countries pass the buck to each other, to the point of creating drama. Thus, one year after the opening of the judicial investigation aimed at shedding light on the death of 27 migrants in the Channel, on November 24, 2021, the investigations into the conditions of the sinking reveal that the migrants called for help. many times, according to The world. But “French rescuers waited for them to pass through English waters” and “no means of rescue were sent to them”according to the daily.
The agreement signed on Monday provides in particular for the British to pay 72.2 million euros in 2022-2023 to France which, in return, will increase its security forces by 40%, on its beaches, from where migrants leave. destination of the United Kingdom, according to the joint declaration of the two countries consulted by franceinfo. This represents 350 additional police and gendarmes, including reservists.
No quantified target for boat interceptions appears in this document, signed Monday morning in Paris by French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin and his British counterpart Suella Braverman. This is what the United Kingdom wanted, according to the press across the Channel.
In this text, London and Paris first set themselves the objective of deploying “technological and human resources”, including drones, on the French coast to better detect, monitor and intercept boats. Both countries also want to collect and use intelligence, including “from intercepted migrants”to better dismantle smuggling networks and deter crossings through joint work “as early as possible”in connection with the countries of origin and transit of exiles.
For the first time, teams of observers will be deployed on both sides of the Channel to “to strengthen common understanding” between the two countries, “improve the conduct of migrant debriefings” and “increase the exchange of information”. The agreement also provides funding for “detection dogs” in ports and the installation of surveillance cameras at the main border crossing points along the coast.