Macron, Sunak agree plan to reduce English Channel migration

Britain and France announced a new deal on March 10 to help clamp down on migrants and refugees crossing the English Channel in small boats.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the $575 million (€540 million) plan after a summit in Paris designed to reset relations after years of bickering over Brexit, DW reports.

As part of the three-year deal, Britain will help fund a migrant detention center in France, the deployment of hundreds of extra French officers to conduct patrols of the coast and the upgrade of surveillance technology.

France will also contribute significantly more funding, although no details were provided.

Sunak vows to 'break' Channel migrant issue

"We don't need to manage this [small boats] problem, we need to break it," Sunak said at a joint news conference with Macron.

"Today, we have taken cooperation to an unprecedented level... to put an end to this disgusting trade in human life."

Britain's conservative government is under intense pressure to do more to stop people from making the journey from the French to the UK coast in dinghies and small boats.

Over the past few years, the use of small vessels has become more popular for migrants than stowing away on trucks or trains using the Channel Tunnel or crossing by ferry.

The English Channel is just 21 miles (around 33 kilometers) wide at its narrowest point but is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

The sea conditions often make the crossing perilous and at least four people have died in recent years.

This week, Sunak's government presented new legislation that will instead ban migrants arriving by small boats from seeking asylum.

If passed by Parliament, new arrivals will be detained and sent to a third country deemed safe, although the plan won't apply to unaccompanied minors.

Britain back in the fold?

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has also brought Britain closer to its European neighbors in support of Kyiv, and, on Friday, France and Britain said that they would jointly train Ukrainian marines.

"We want Ukraine to win this war. We are absolutely united on this," said Sunak, adding that it should be Kyiv that chooses when any peace talks start.