France and U.K. sign agreement to curb English Channel crossings

The interior ministers of France and Britain have signed a joint agreement in Paris to try to curb migration across the English Channel — a regular source of friction between the two countries

The U.K. and French interior ministers signed an agreement on Monday that will see more police patrol beaches in northern France in an attempt to stop people trying to cross the English Channel in small boats — a regular source of friction between the two countries.

The British government has agreed to pay France some 72.2 million euros ($75 million) in 2022-2023 — almost 10 million euros more than under an existing deal — in exchange for France increasing security patrols along the coast by 40%.

That includes 350 more gendarmes and police guarding beaches in Calais and Dunkirk, as well as more drones and night vision equipment to help officers detect crossings.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the deal would mean “for the first time, British officials embedded in French operations to strengthen co-ordination and the effectiveness of our operations.”

He said the agreement would be “a foundation for even greater co-operation in the months ahead.”

The agreement, signed by French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and British Home Secretary Suella Braverman in Paris, contains proposals to fight crime across migration routes, with the two ministers agreeing that their countries would harvest information from intercepted migrants to help tackle smuggling networks.

No specific target for boat interceptions was included in the agreement, the latest in a series of deals on migration struck by the two countries over the years.