France, UK sign $74.5 million agreement to curb illegal Channel crossings

Agencies |Paris

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

On Monday, the interior ministers of France and Britain signed a joint agreement to try to curb migration across the English channel — a regular source of friction between the two countries.

The British government has agreed to pay up about €72.2 million to France in 2022-23 in exchange for France increasing its security presence by 40 per cent across sea access points on the coast.

This means 350 more gendarmes and police guarding beaches in Calais and Dunkirk.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and British Home Secretary Suella Braverman signed the agreement in Paris.

The pact contains proposals to fight crime across the regular migration routes, with the two ministers agreeing that their countries would harvest information from intercepted migrants to help tackle smuggling networks.

“Technological and human resources” including drones could be used on the French coast to better intercept boats, the agreement adds.

No specific target for boat interceptions was included in the agreement.