UK inks deal with EU’s Frontex on illegal migration

 

UK inks deal with EU’s Frontex on illegal migration

 

Pact stops short of a returns agreement, but will allow the two sides’ border agencies to work together more closely.

 

FEBRUARY 23, 2024 1:01 AM CET

BY BETHANY DAWSON

https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-deal-eu-frontex-illegal-migration/

 

LONDON — The EU and U.K. reached a post-Brexit agreement on plans to combat illegal migration.

 

The British government and Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, have agreed a new working arrangement which “provides the basis for mutually beneficial cooperation,” the U.K. Home Office said Friday.

 

The EU's Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson will travel to London Friday to witness the signing of the agreement, alongside Home Secretary James Cleverly.

 

Greater cooperation on irregular migration — where people cross borders without official permission — has been in the works for some time, but as POLITICO reported in October had been snagged on the U.K.’s desire for a returns agreement.

 

The new U.K.-Frontex agreement does not include any bilateral returns agreement, meaning the U.K. will not have to take in any asylum seekers from EU member countries as part of the deal.

 

But the British ministry said the pact will allow information and intelligence swapping; cooperation on training; and collaboration on research and development.

 

It marks the latest step in British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s vow to stop an influx of small boat crossings into the U.K. In 2023, 29,437 people crossed the English Channel to enter the country.

 

Announcing the new EU tie-up, Cleverly said organized crime and people smuggling “require shared solutions and ambitions.

 

"Our landmark working arrangement between the U.K. and Frontex is another crucial step in tackling illegal migration, securing our borders and stopping the boats," he added.

 

Johansson welcomed the conclusion of the agreement, and said the deal will ensure "an integrated border management which is efficient, sustainable and in line with international standards and EU values."

 

This article has been updated.