Photo credit: DW
Britain and France have agreed on a new three-year deal to stop undocumented migrants making the risky journey across the English Channel.
Gulf News reports that under the deal, France pledged to increase law enforcement on the coast by more than half to fight irregular migration to Britain.
Britain will meanwhile provide up to $897 million in funding, but nearly a quarter of that will have strings attached and be paid only if the French measures work.
The cross-Channel neighbours have been wrangling for months over the renewal of the Sandhurst treaty, which sets out the UK’s financial contribution to French efforts to stop migrants attempting the perilous sea crossing to Britain.
The UK has long accused France of doing too little to prevent would-be asylum seekers from setting off from French shores, with smugglers and migrants taking ever-greater risks to avoid detection.
As a result, London insisted it would only renew the Sandhurst treaty if it could impose conditions on how British taxpayers’ money is used by the French government.
According to the French ministry roadmap, if the new measures do not deliver “sufficient results, based on a joint annual assessment, the funding will be redirected to new actions”.
