Explained: Why France is angry with Britain over migrant crossings
The war of words between France and the UK over migrant crossings seems to be getting increasingly ill-tempered. Here's what each side is complaining about.
What is happening?
A total of more than 1,000 migrants crossed the channel from France to England on Friday and Saturday, just the latest in hundreds of crossing staged by migrants and asylum seekers desperate to reach the UK.
Generally undertaken in highly dangerous conditions in small boats, the crossing represents the final stage of the journey for people who have travelled thousands of miles from countries including Afghanistan and Syria to reach the UK, going through Europe and then crossing by sea to the UK.
They usually aim to cross at the shortest point, from the northern French coastline around Calais towards Dover and the south coast of England, just 33km away.
This is a long-standing issue and over the years France and the UK have tried various different joint approaches to tackling the problem.
A total of 15,400 people attempted to cross the Channel in the first eight months of this year, a increase of 50 percent over the figure for the whole of 2020, according to French coast guard statistics.
Why the row?
In short, the UK believes that France is not doing enough to stop the crossings, while France says the UK has broken its promise to finance anti-trafficking measures.
Under an agreement reached in July, Britain agreed to finance border security in France to the tune of €62.7 million.
However according to British media reports, British Home Secretary Priti Patel in September threatened to withhold the money in the light of the record numbers of migrants arriving from France.
France, meanwhile, says that the promised money has not been paid.
Patel's opposite number, France's interior minister Gérald Darmanin, said: "The (British) government has not yet paid what it promised us.
"We call on the British to keep their promise of financing since we are maintaining the border for them".
What is France doing?
Over the past three months France has stopped 65 percent of attempted crossings by illegal immigrants, up from 50 percent, the interior minister said.
The French side has hired more gendarmes, purchased more technological equipment and thereby "succeeded in greatly reducing migratory pressure", he added.
"France has held the border for our British friends for over 20 years," said Darmanin. France is "an ally of Britain" but "not its vassal", he said.
The northern coastline is just one aspect of border policing for France, which also has to deal with migrant crossings on its Mediterranean coast and over land.
READ ALSO: French police cause misery for migrants in Calais
So what next?
On a practical level, Darmanin said that he had received assurances from the director of the European border surveillance agency Frontex, that it will be prepared by the end of the year to monitor the coastal area, notably through aerial surveillance.
However the row between France and the UK is also about politics and the post-Brexit fallout.
Darmanin on Saturday called for the start of negotiations for a migration treaty between the European Union and Britain.
"We need to negotiate a treaty, since Mr (Michel) Barnier did not do so when he negotiated Brexit, which binds us on migration issues," the interior minister said, adding that France will champion the project when it takes over the EU's rotating presidency in January.
Barnier, who is now running for president in France, was the EU's Brexit negotiator during the fraught talks on a deal to cover relations with the UK after it left the European Union.
READ ALSO: France warns Britain against 'blackmail' over migrant crossings
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What is happening?
A total of more than 1,000 migrants crossed the channel from France to England on Friday and Saturday, just the latest in hundreds of crossing staged by migrants and asylum seekers desperate to reach the UK.
Generally undertaken in highly dangerous conditions in small boats, the crossing represents the final stage of the journey for people who have travelled thousands of miles from countries including Afghanistan and Syria to reach the UK, going through Europe and then crossing by sea to the UK.
They usually aim to cross at the shortest point, from the northern French coastline around Calais towards Dover and the south coast of England, just 33km away.
This is a long-standing issue and over the years France and the UK have tried various different joint approaches to tackling the problem.
A total of 15,400 people attempted to cross the Channel in the first eight months of this year, a increase of 50 percent over the figure for the whole of 2020, according to French coast guard statistics.
Why the row?
In short, the UK believes that France is not doing enough to stop the crossings, while France says the UK has broken its promise to finance anti-trafficking measures.
Under an agreement reached in July, Britain agreed to finance border security in France to the tune of €62.7 million.
However according to British media reports, British Home Secretary Priti Patel in September threatened to withhold the money in the light of the record numbers of migrants arriving from France.
France, meanwhile, says that the promised money has not been paid.
Patel's opposite number, France's interior minister Gérald Darmanin, said: "The (British) government has not yet paid what it promised us.
"We call on the British to keep their promise of financing since we are maintaining the border for them".
What is France doing?
Over the past three months France has stopped 65 percent of attempted crossings by illegal immigrants, up from 50 percent, the interior minister said.
The French side has hired more gendarmes, purchased more technological equipment and thereby "succeeded in greatly reducing migratory pressure", he added.
"France has held the border for our British friends for over 20 years," said Darmanin. France is "an ally of Britain" but "not its vassal", he said.
The northern coastline is just one aspect of border policing for France, which also has to deal with migrant crossings on its Mediterranean coast and over land.
READ ALSO: French police cause misery for migrants in Calais
So what next?
On a practical level, Darmanin said that he had received assurances from the director of the European border surveillance agency Frontex, that it will be prepared by the end of the year to monitor the coastal area, notably through aerial surveillance.
However the row between France and the UK is also about politics and the post-Brexit fallout.
Darmanin on Saturday called for the start of negotiations for a migration treaty between the European Union and Britain.
"We need to negotiate a treaty, since Mr (Michel) Barnier did not do so when he negotiated Brexit, which binds us on migration issues," the interior minister said, adding that France will champion the project when it takes over the EU's rotating presidency in January.
Barnier, who is now running for president in France, was the EU's Brexit negotiator during the fraught talks on a deal to cover relations with the UK after it left the European Union.
READ ALSO: France warns Britain against 'blackmail' over migrant crossings
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