A group of northern European countries agreed on Monday to create a new “customs partnership” to stem the supply of small boats used to transport migrants across the English Channel, Britain’s Home Office said.
The British and French governments will lead the way in creating the new initiative, under which the countries’ customs services will better share information on small boat shipments.
Britain, which is no longer a member of the EU from 2020, is struggling to stem the flow of tens of thousands of migrants arriving at its southeastern shores each year on small boats from mainland Europe.
Migrants arrive en masse to Europe’s shores despite the deadly dangers of such journeys. The latest victim was a seven-year-old girl who drowned on Sunday when a small boat carrying 16 migrants travelling from northern France to Britain capsized.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowed early last year to “stop the boats”, but despite stepped-up efforts to crack down on illegal migration, some 30,000 people have crossed the border in 2023.
The issue – politically sensitive given the UK government’s pledge to “take back control” of the country’s borders after Brexit – is set to feature prominently in the general election later this year.
The plan to improve customs co-ordination was discussed on Monday at a ministerial meeting of the so-called Calais Group in Brussels. It includes Britain, France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as the European Commission and its agencies, and is dedicated to promoting co-operation on illegal migration. The UK interior ministry said in a statement.
This is an initiative to work with countries throughout the supply chain of small boat materials, and will build on the effective work already being done to prevent small boat launches from northern France. Partnership countries and their customs agencies will… be able to share information more effectively to disrupt shipments of small boat materials, preventing them from making it to the English Channel.
The group intends to discuss the plan again at its next meeting in April.
Monday’s meeting also discussed working with social media companies to combat the online activity of people-smuggling networks. In addition, participants discussed the UK’s recent agreement with Frontex, the European border and coastguard agency, to share information and intelligence and jointly combat gangs.
