France Floats an EU-UK Migration Deal as 100 More Illegal Boat Migrants Land

Migrants picked up at sea while attempting to cross the English Channel, are pictured on a
BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images
Kurt Zindulka

France is reportedly set to propose a joint agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom on asylum seekers and migration, although the envisioned deal would likely see no reduction in migration to the UK.

In 2021, there was a dramatic increase in illegal migration across the English Channel from France, with over 28,000 aliens landing on English shores, the vast majority of whom set off from French beaches.

Following Britain formally leaving the European Union at the beginning of 2020, there has been a reluctance in Brussels and Paris to come to an agreement with London on the return of failed asylum seekers.

However, a senior government official in France, which took control of the rotating EU Council presidency, told The Guardian on Tuesday that France will seek to reform migration regulations throughout the bloc and will push for a deal with Britain on migration.

The official told the paper that the purpose of such a treaty between the EU and UK would be to create “a legal means of immigration with Great Britain, so people can legally go to Great Britain to seek asylum.”

The source went on to say, however, that the deal would provide some “reciprocity” suggesting that the UK would be given a means of sending failed asylum seekers back to the European country from which they travelled.

“We would be prepared to consider this. The idea is to have a zero balance at the end of the day,” the French official said.

It is unlikely that any deal will be struck with France before the presidential election in April, as any such deal could possibly be seen as a sign of weakness from President Emmanuel Macron.

Earlier this month, a British government official said of the negotiations with France: “They didn’t have to say it but they were basically saying there’s no chance of a breakthrough before the election… With it being so close to the election, it’s politically difficult for him to be offering any kind of significant concessions to the British.”

It is also unclear if the British would actually agree to the terms laid out in the report, as they would likely see increasing the numbers of migrants applying for asylum in the UK in exchange for the EU accepting migrant returns, which at best would likely have zero impact on reducing migration.

The floating of a possible deal with the British on migration comes as France is seeking to introduce reforms to European Union’s passport-free Schengen area.

France is expected to press Brussels to enforce an asylum seeker sharing protocol to send migrants throughout the bloc, a move that will likely see pushback from countries such as Hungary and Poland, which have long opposed the open borders policies prefered by Western Europe.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who is facing challenges from the populist right in his reelection bid from candidates Marine Le Pen and Eric Zemmour, has attempted to appear tough on migration and law and order in France.

Appearing in the city of Nice on Monday, Macron pledged to free up thousands of police officers from mundane tasks to increase patrols on the streets of France.

Criticising the address, right-wing pundit turned presidential candidate Eric Zemmour said: “What pleases Emmanuel Macron is not a France with borders, it is anarchy with gendarmes.

“What France needs is to cut the disorder at the source: stop immigration, end the sieve justice, and deportations.”

Meanwhile, the crisis in the Channel, which saw 27 people drown on one day in November, continues to rage.

Amid relatively calm conditions on Monday, people smugglers successfully trafficked 96 migrants into British waters, where they were brought ashore at the Port of Dover. French authorities claimed to have stopped an additional 56 from making the illegal journey.

Follow Kurt Zindulka on Twitter here @KurtZindulka

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