France plans drastic measures against migrant boats!

France plans drastic measures against migrant boats!

French ministry circles are working on a fundamental change in the doctrine to combat illegal migration via small boats. The aim of this initiative is to stop so -called taxi boats, which are used by tugs to pick up migrants in the flat water up to 300 meters from the coast. The planned commitment, which should be in accordance with the UN Lake Convention Convention, is prepared by an interminister working group. This is intended to present the new operational rules until the upcoming French-British summit in July, as oe24.at.

The British Prime Minister Keir Strandmer has promised to reduce immigration to Great Britain since taking office in July 2024. This happens against the background that the Labor government is under considerable pressure, especially because the UK reform has now taken the lead in surveys. In order to counter this challenge, British Interior Minister Suella Braverman and her French counterpart Gérald Darmanin have taken measures to combat illegal migration. As part of this cooperation, the two countries prevents over 23,000 small boot crossings in 2021 and more than 30,000 in 2022. In addition, 55 organized criminals were smashed and over 500 people were arrested, as is stated in a joint explanation of the British and French government.

strategic goals and measures

The increased cooperation between the United Kingdom and France aims to make the routes unattractive for small boot crossings, to save lives and combat organized crime. The new strategic goals include improving border monitoring, the smashing of networks of organized crime and cooperation with the countries of origin of migrants. The measures immediately implemented include:

• Expansion of the Joint Intelligence Cell to improve the exchange of information.
• an increase in French personnel that patrolled beaches by 40% within the next five months.
• Establishment of reception centers in southern France to prevent migrants from moving to the channel coast.
• Financial means of up to 72.2 million euros for 2022-2023 to support the measures.

These steps are intended to help reduce the number of attempted crossings and to strengthen the security measures in the affected regions. The cooperation is regularly checked by the commitment of both countries in a joint surveillance committee.

additional European perspectives

In the context of the EU, a new border process for asylum decisions at the external borders was adopted in April 2024. This procedure aims to rapidly assess asylum applications, especially in the event of irregular border crossing or after a sea rescue. Applications should be processed within twelve weeks to ensure quick decisions, although asylum seekers are not allowed to enter EU country during the procedure. In addition, the Parliament called for the provision of free legal advice for applicants, as explained on the official website of the European Parliament.

Developments in France and Great Britain are part of a wider European approach to combat irregular migration and to strengthen border protection, which is becoming increasingly important.