French President Emmanuel Macron and the newly elected British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer committed to “strengthening their cooperation on illegal immigration”.
Emmanuel Macron and Sir Keir have concurred during the fourth summit of the European Political Community (EPC) that there was “no easy silver bullet” to stop small boats from crossing the English Channel.
The EPC, an informal forum, comprises 27 European states and non-EU members. One the main topic of discussion at the most recent summit, which took place at Oxfordshire’s Blenheim Palace, was migration.
The prime minister stated that combating illegal immigration required going “upstream” and that there was a “consensus” at the summit regarding the need to eliminate smuggling gangs.
Keir Starmer referred to the Rwanda plan as a “gimmick” and advocated for a reversal of the UK’s illegal migration policy as well as increased defense and border security cooperation with Europe.
Criminal boat gangs are making vast profits from human misery.
Today we’re announcing new measures to grip the migration crisis that is putting millions of lives at risk.
Genuine partnership with Europe and the Global South. Real change for our country and our world. pic.twitter.com/jwajA0e2ph
— Anneliese Dodds (@AnnelieseDodds) July 18, 2024
In the meantime, the Foreign Office announced that £84 million in funding would be allocated over the following three years to address the issues that push people into small boats. Funding will go toward initiatives that will assist Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon in obtaining employment and education, as well as helping migrants in North and East Africa to bridge skills gaps in their new countries and providing humanitarian relief to displaced people in war-torn Sudan.
To Stop the Boats with Help of France
On the fringes of the EPC summit, Starmer had a one-on-one meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday to talk about what more can be done to prevent the thousands of migrants who risk their lives every year to cross the English Channel from France. “Strengthen their cooperation on irregular migration” and “reinvigorate” their defense partnership were the two promises made by Macron and Stramer.
Macron emphasized that greater European cooperation is necessary to resolve the migration crisis. He emphasized that cooperation between all the affected nations was necessary to combat smugglers and that there was no magic bullet.
Starmer also mentioned the smuggling gangs network as No 1 issue which needs to resolved.
“A veritable criminal empire is today at work throughout Europe. It profits from human misery and despair, sending countless innocent people to their deaths in the waters of the English Channel,” he said.
Just during this week two shipwrecks has happened in the English Channel, two migrants died.
