Four days after the worst migratory drama to have occurred in the English Channel, a European meeting is being held in Calais on Sunday to strengthen the fight "
against the networks of smugglers
", but without the British, excluded by France.
Read alsoMigrants: Paris judges Johnson's mail "indigent and out of place", Darmanin cancels his meeting with the British Home Secretary
Bringing together the ministers in charge of immigration from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France, as well as the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, this intergovernmental working meeting will begin at 3 p.m. in this port city in northern France.
The European criminal police agencies Europol and Frontex borders will be represented there.
The purpose of the meeting is "
the fight against illegal immigration and smuggling networks
", according to the press note of the French Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin, on Saturday evening.
It is about strengthening "
operational cooperation in the fight against smugglers because they are international networks that operate in different European countries
", argues the entourage of the Minister.
United Kingdom persona non grata
However, the meeting will take place without the British party, which is nevertheless primarily concerned: Gérald Darmanin canceled the participation of his counterpart Priti Patel on Friday in response to a letter published Thursday evening on Twitter by Boris Johnson, asking Paris to resume the migrants arriving in Great Britain from France.
In a message to Priti Patel, Gérald Darmanin said he was “
disappointed
” with the demands of the British Prime Minister and judged
their publication
“
even worse
”.
President Emmanuel Macron had also criticized Boris Johnson for
"not serious"
methods
.
On Saturday, European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas said it was up to Britain to resolve its problems relating to the influx of migrants.
The United Kingdom "
has left the European Union
", as a result it "
must now decide how to organize the management of its border control
," said Margaritis Schinas.
Read alsoSix questions on the sinking of migrants in the English Channel, which killed at least 27 people
The sinking, which claimed the lives of at least 27 people on Wednesday, is the worst migratory drama in the Channel, now crisscrossed daily aboard fragile boats by migrants trying to reach the English coast.
These crossings have developed since 2018 in the face of the closure of the port of Calais and Eurotunnel, which migrants took while hiding in vehicles.
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