France and Britain signed a new deal on Monday to try to stop the passage of migrants across the Channel, which has reached a record volume of more than 40,000 people this year, according to British authorities. The commitment foresees that London will pay Paris 72.2 million euros – in the period 2022-2023 – to pay for surveillance operations on the coast and at sea, which will involve the mobilization of around 350 more agents.
The agreement was signed in Paris between the respective interior ministers, the French Gérard Darmanin, and his British counterpart, Suella Braverman. In the text, the goal is to deploy “the technological and human resources” necessary on the French coast to detect and intercept ships intending to cross the channel with irregular migrants.
The crossings of the ‘small boats’ have for years been a source of contention between the English and the French, facing each other even on fishing
For years, the Channel crossings of the small boatsas the British call the boats, it is one of the reasons for the friction between London and Paris, whose relations have experienced very difficult moments after Brexit, for example as regards fishing rights.
Controlling the beaches on the French side of the channel is complicated. It is tens of kilometers of coastline, with wide beaches and areas of dunes. The French police and gendarmes use off-road motorcycles and also drones. The British have repeatedly accused the French of laxity, of allowing migrants to embark to get rid of the problem that their presence entails.
The new agreement includes funds for the purchase and training of detection dogs in ports, security cameras and the creation of reception centers in the south of France to dissuade those arriving from heading for the Channel.
Almost a year ago, 27 people died when one of the boats sank
Migrant crossings in the English Channel have claimed the lives of at least two hundred people since 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The best known drama occurred on November 24, 2021, when the sinking of a boat claimed the lives of 27 migrants.
Spain is indirectly involved in the Channel crisis. France complains that there are too many migrants who, after crossing the Mediterranean, manage to cross the Pyrenees and continue north. For this reason, in recent years, border posts have been closed and checks are often carried out that should not take place between Schengen countries.
