Foreign aid Paris calls on the UK to change course on migration

In view of the increasing number of migrants drowning in the English Channel on their way to the UK, France's Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has reacted with alarm. He called on London to change course in its refugee policy.

"If so many refugees want to cross the English Channel, it is because the British model is very attractive," said Retailleau in Ambleteuse in northern France. If the UK does not reduce its attractiveness for migrants, the number of boat refugees will continue to rise.

Great Britain must create legal immigration opportunities, said the Home Secretary. The relationship between France and the United Kingdom could not be limited to the UK outsourcing its border protection to France. What was needed was a new framework agreement between the two countries on how to deal with migrants. The problem would not be solved with more money or additional police deployment. "If we carry on as before, there will be more deaths."

Already 72 dead in the English Channel

For years, large numbers of migrants have been crossing the English Channel from northern France to reach the UK. Smugglers cram the people onto overcrowded rubber dinghies, which often sink during the crossing. According to police reports, 72 migrants have already lost their lives this year, as reported by the newspaper "Le Parisien".

The UK has been trying to stem migration across the English Channel with French help for some time and is paying millions to Paris to do so. The French interior minister announced a meeting with his British counterpart Yvette Cooper on December 9 in Calais to discuss future action.

SDA