Britain to contribute £12m to improve security at Calais to reduce irregular migration
A new deal will see the UK contribute £4m a year for three years to tackle the issue of migrants attempting to reach the UK from the French port of Calais.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the joint initiative between the UK and France will see security at the port improved, with money being spent on the construction of robust fences and improved security measures in the parking area of the port..
BBC News reported that Immigration Minister James Brokenshire said British and French law enforcement agencies would also target organised crime gangs behind people trafficking and smuggling.
Brokenshire told the BBC: "What this is about is underlining that long-term relationship with the French, focusing on border security, focusing on investment in Calais as a port as well."
In addition, Channel 4 News notes that money will be spent on information campaigns, starting next month, which will explain "the reality of illegal migration and its consequences in the United Kingdom" and will set out information on asylum in France or assisted voluntary return.
A joint British/French statement (reproduced in full below) said: "Efforts will be made to strengthen cooperation by establishing permanent joint mechanisms to deliver the comprehensive action plan and enhance co-operation between British and French law-enforcement agencies at the border. This will include helping to identify measures to ensure migrants do not breach the laws of either country or threaten the safety of Calais residents or those using the port. It will also support improved joint returns initiatives and further comprehensive action against those trying to evade immigration control."
James Brokenshire said the priority is now to implement the practical solutions that have been agreed.
According to BBC News, France believes there are 1,500 migrants seeking to make it to the UK living in Calais, with the numbers having increased by 50 per cent in the past year as people flee from humanitarian crises in northern and eastern Africa and the Middle East.
Many live in tents or makeshift shelters.
The Socialist Worker published an in-depth article on migrants in Calais last week, in which a volunteer worker from Britain was quoted as saying: "If this was somewhere else it would be reported in humanitarian terms—about what help people need. If they had fled into Jordan or Lebanon there would be refugee camps to provide for their needs. But because they are here, there is only the political question of how to get rid of them. The logic is to make sure they have absolutely nothing in the hope that will stop them coming."
Full joint statement
As published by the French Embassy in London, the full text of the joint British/French statement is reproduced below:
France/UK/migration – Joint declaration by M. Bernard Cazeneuve, Minister of the Interior, and Mrs Theresa May, Home Secretary of the United Kingdom [1]
Paris, 20 September 2014
The UK and France share concerns as to the number of illegal migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean from North Africa, the volume of illegal migrants arriving along the southern Mediterranean border of the European Union and the local situation in the Calais region and around the port since spring 2014. This includes the human distress and the risk of human trafficking that underpins this situation and the significant public policy, economic, health and social pressure consequences generated by illegal migration into the town. Recognising their longstanding effective bilateral cooperation on cross-border security issues and the need for effective organizational structures and legal tools on both sides, the Home Secretary of the United Kingdom and the Interior Minister of France reaffirm their willingness to work together in the fight against the smuggling and trafficking of migrants, as well as to combat organized criminals seeking to exploit illegal migration. They are also intent on measures which will ensure the safety of migrants, without increasing the attractiveness of Calais as a destination for illegal migrants. The two ministers unreservedly condemn the violence in both the town and the port.
The two ministers agree on the establishment of a comprehensive action plan to:
• Reduce the number of irregular migrants, through joint or parallel information campaigns;
• Respond to health emergencies and protect vulnerable people, with a focus on victims of human trafficking;
• Strengthen port security to deter illegal crossings, preserve and promote economic activity in the region and address public order issues arising from the number of illegal migrants in Calais;
• Increase their operational cooperation to fight against the smuggling of migrants;
• Stem the flow of illegal migration into Europe, together with the EU and with source and transit countries, building on the joint letter to the European Commission from the French Interior Minister, the Home Secretary and the interior ministers of Germany, Poland and Spain; and
• Ensure that all measures taken will deter illegal migrants from congregating in and around Calais.
1. Firstly, the two ministers agree on the creation of a joint intervention fund, including a British contribution of €5 million funding (£4m) per year for three years to:
• Strengthen security, both around the port and in the port areas, ensuring greater protection against migrant incursions and building on the sustained UK support and investment in improving infrastructure and security in Calais. This will include the building of robust fences along the ring road access to the public area of the port in accordance with the investment programme identified by the port management. This will also include the strengthening of security in the parking area in the east of the port, for which investment and annual security costs will be evaluated. Pending the installation of these permanent security installations, temporary solutions should be implemented as soon as possible, subject to the agreement of port and road authorities, to offer greater immediate security to the public and to hauliers using the port.
• Ensure effective measures are taken to protect vulnerable persons such as the victims of human trafficking. This will include, for example, ensuring such victims receive appropriate support and assistance.
2. The two ministers agree that their officials will work together to improve the quality of border controls to deliver an overall border control conducive to the operation of a secure international border. This would be initiated by an assessment of current methods and the possible upgrade to newer technologies specifically to address the current risk to life from the smuggling of clandestines in tankers and refrigerated lorries. Meanwhile, improvements will be made to the physical layout of the border controls in Calais to ensure a smoother flow of traffic and better compliance with the relevant Schengen rules. These measures should be worked out before the end of the year. This should be supported by further efforts from all EU member states to fulfil their obligations under EU law.
3. At the same time, efforts will be made to strengthen operational cooperation by establishing permanent joint mechanisms to deliver promptly the comprehensive action plan and enhance cooperation between British and French law enforcement agencies at the border. This will include helping to identify measures to ensure migrants do not breach the laws of either country or threaten the safety of Calais residents or those using the port. It will also support improved joint returns initiatives and further comprehensive action against those trying to evade immigration control.
4. In order to deter clandestine attempts to enter Britain, the two countries agree on the establishment of joint information campaigns to migrants. This will include the development and delivery of messages by British and French officials, together with relevant NGOs where possible, on the reality of illegal migration and its consequences in the United Kingdom. These messages may be issued along with information on asylum in France or assisted voluntary return. Information campaigns will begin in October.
5. The two ministers agree on increased efforts in dismantling criminal networks. This cooperation will take place through increased sharing of operational information by strengthening contacts between different actors – DCPAF [French border police], National Crime Agency, Border Force – as well as a British participation in joint actions and EMPACT ENDTIC conducted with other European countries. As a first step the NCA will second a full-time officer to OCRIEST [French body combating illegal immigration] in Paris and the DCPAF will send each month two officers to work with the Joint Border Intelligence Unit in Folkestone. These measures will be effective immediately and the ministers will set clear and ambitious targets to ensure the full impact in the fight against organized immigration crime.
6. Finally, the two ministers emphasize the need for resolving the evident migration crisis in the Mediterranean Sea. The ministers undertake to continue their actions bilaterally and with partners in the European Union, based in particular on action in countries of transit and of origin. This would involve cooperation between the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the European Commission and EU interior ministers to drive forward delivery of the Task Force Mediterranean, including an increased use of Regional Protection and Development Programmes
[1] Source of English text: UK Home Office.