UK pushes for closer ties with EU border agency in bid to curb migration
The new cooperation agreement between the EU’s border agency Frontex and the UK was set up at the request of the British government, an official source from Frontex confirmed to Euractiv.
The UK asked the European Commission for more joint coordination in managing irregular migration, which laid the groundwork for the deal, Euractiv understands.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats” has been a cornerstone of his bid to win back swing voters ahead of this year’s general election, with Sunak’s Conservative party trailing in the polls behind Keir Starmer’s Labour.
Migration remains a politically potent topic in the UK, with Sunak gambling on beefed-up border control and an aggressive approach to irregular arrivals – including the imperilled Rwanda scheme – to boost his domestic popularity.
On Monday (4 March), UK Home Secretary James Cleverly convened the Calais Group – composed of EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, representatives from EU agencies Frontex and Europol, and officials from France, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands – to discuss joint efforts to tackle migration.
At the meeting, the UK and France announced a new customs partnership that aims to disrupt migration supply chains by preventing materials used in small boats from being shipped to northern France, where the vessels are launched.
The deal furthers Sunak’s push for a post-Brexit rapprochement between the UK and the EU. In January, the UK officially re-entered the Horizon Europe research programme, and progress was made on power sharing in Northern Ireland after two years of post-Brexit deadlock.
UK-Frontex arrangement
Since the UK left the EU in 2020, it no longer has returns agreements with the bloc. However, it has since made a series of bilateral deals, including with Albania.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Sunak “agreed on 16 May 2023 on the importance to strengthen the cooperation between the EU and the UK on migration through a new Working Arrangement with Frontex”, a Commission spokesperson told Euractiv. Negotiations were concluded on 18 February, they added.
The non-binding agreement will facilitate greater cooperation in information and intelligence exchange, capacity building and training, technical and operational cooperation and exchange of liaison officers.
The arrangement will be limited to specific measures and not give Frontex executive powers, a Frontex spokesperson told Euractiv.
“For collaboration involving executive powers, a formal agreement akin to those with the countries in the Western Balkans and Moldova would be necessary,” Frontex told Euractiv.
An effective deterrent?
In 2023, the UK Home Office recorded 36,704 irregular arrivals, one-third (33%) fewer than in 2022, 80% of which arrived on small boats.
On Sunday (3 March), a seven-year-old girl drowned when a boat carrying 16 people to England from France capsized. The UN’s migration institute, IOM, estimates that more than 200 people have died at sea while trying to reach the UK since 2014.
While the British government’s efforts to stop small boat crossings have focused primarily on deterrence and physical enforcement, civil society proposals advocate for greater access to safe and legal routes.
“The last few years clearly show that these so-called agreements, expensive security measures and anti-refugee ‘deterrents’ do not work,” Care4Calais CEO Steve Smith told Euractiv. Care4Calais is a volunteer-run refugee charity working with refugees in the UK, France and Belgium.
“They do not work because refugees are fleeing worse fates than any the UK Government can threaten. The only way to stop dangerous Channel crossings is safe routes for people who want to seek asylum in the UK,” Smith pointed out.
Since 2018, nationals from Iran, Albania, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria have made up 71% of all those crossing in small boats, according to data collected by the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory.
“No Ukrainians have been detected crossing the channel in small boats due to the uncapped visa scheme for this group, whereas Afghans – who have a very small resettlement scheme available to them – have been one of the largest nationalities crossing in small boats,” the group noted.
A spokesperson for the EU border agency told Euractiv that “should Frontex observe any potentially unlawful activities, we are committed to following international law, and if it concerns our operations, we may initiate a Serious Incident Report.”
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