At a meeting of the Calais Group in Brussels, Home Secretary
hosted representatives from
France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, in the presence of
the European Commission and its agencies. The nations discussed
how best to progress joint efforts in tackling the global
migration crisis.
The UK and France will lead a new customs partnership, which they
have invited other Calais Group members to discuss in detail in
April. 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, through
the customs partnership, be able to share information more
effectively to disrupt shipments of small boat materials,
preventing them from making it to the English Channel.
In addition to the launch of the customs partnership, several
other key points were covered by the Calais Group:
- the Home Secretary emphasised the need for strengthened
measures, including operational and legislative, to ensure a more
effective deterrent against the facilitation of illegal migration
across Europe, focusing on the range of destinations and transit
routes being used and breadth of criminal activity taking place
- a renewed commitment to step up work with social media
companies to tackle online activity by people smuggling networks
- the Home Secretary also discussed the operationalisation of
the new deal the UK has signed with Frontex, the European Border
and Coast Guard Agency, to exchange information and intelligence
and take on the people smuggling gangs together
Home Secretary said:
Working closely with our European neighbours is fundamental to
solving the illegal migration crisis. Global problems require
global solutions, and the UK is leading the conversation around
the changes needed to crack down on people smugglers and break
their supply chains.
The Calais Group is central to our mission, and we have already
made significant progress by reducing small boat crossings by
36%. Our new customs partnership demonstrates our enduring
commitment to smashing the business model of criminal gangs and
stopping the boats.
Ministers welcomed the joint progress achieved since the last
meeting of the Calais Group in December 2022. The number of small
boats crossing the English Channel is down by 46% on last year
and the number of illegal migrants arriving in the UK has fallen
by 36%.
The UK also returned more than 25,000 people without the right to
be here last year.
