Five EU countries express open opposition to Britain’s plans for a “one-entry, one-exit” migration scheme
Open protest against the new British migration policy: five European Union countries - Italy, Spain, Greece, Malta and Cyprus - have publicly expressed their concern and anxiety about London's plans to introduce a "one-entry, one-exit" system in cooperation with France. They fear that the implementation of this initiative could significantly complicate the situation with the return of illegal migrants and create an additional burden on their countries - countries of first entry into the European Union. This is stated in a letter sent to the European Commission, writes the British newspaper The Times. Active diplomatic consultations are underway in London between the leadership of Great Britain and France: Chancellor of the country Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are working on a supranational agreement that should allow the official return of illegal migrants crossing the English Channel by boat. As part of this agreement, London promises to accept those migrants who have legal grounds to reunite with their families in Britain, in return, France receives the authority to return illegal immigrants from British territory back to the continent. Separately, it is envisaged to create a joint system for processing applications from migrants crossing the border, as well as recording biometric data to prevent repeated attempts at illegal migration. The main instrument should be a pilot project: the creation of a system that, according to the plan, will reduce the attractiveness of the UK as a destination country for illegal immigrants. According to the plan, every illegal immigrant who is deported to the UK from France will be offered to return to the interior of France, and not to the northern coast of the English Channel. This approach will reduce the number of repeated attempts to cross the Anglo-French border. In addition, any repeated attempt at illegal crossing will be automatically recorded using biometric data, and violators will be immediately returned. Government officials stress that the new scheme must demonstrate its viability and avoid the mistakes of previous programmes, including those with Rwanda, which have been criticised for human rights and organisational shortcomings. However, the approach to the implementation of this strategy has raised concerns among European partners: the EU fears that it could lead to illegal immigrants being returned to their country of first entry, rather than to their country of residence, which is contrary to existing rules and agreements. The agreement, which is planned to be launched as a pilot project in the near future, is to be part of a wider effort by the British government to reduce the number of people arriving by ship and boat this year - and this year there were a record 18.5 thousand of them, which is 42% more than in the same period last year. French police are preparing to introduce new legislative changes that will allow law enforcement officers to intercept boats up to 300 meters from the coast. This decision is intended to further reduce the number of illegal crossings of the English Channel. Against the background of these events, in May, nine European leaders called on the European Court of Human Rights to review the interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights. Their request concerns the removal of barriers to the simplified and rapid expulsion of migrants who break the law or commit crimes in the EU. This, they believe, will reduce the flow of illegal migration and facilitate the management of migration crises. This initiative has received support from many political forces, but is currently under sharp internal and external scrutiny.