Europe 1 with AFP 2:33 p.m., November 25, 2021
In the aftermath of the tragedy which claimed the lives of 27 migrants off the coast of Calais, France invited "the ministers in charge of Belgian, German, Dutch and British immigration, as well as the European Commission, to a meeting" on Sunday in Calais.
France invites "the ministers in charge of Belgian, German, Dutch and British immigration, as well as the European Commission, to a meeting" Sunday in Calais, said Matignon Thursday after an interministerial meeting the day after the shipwreck in the English Channel. 'a migrant boat that killed 27 people.
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"Strengthen cooperation"
"This meeting should make it possible to define the ways and means of strengthening police, judicial and humanitarian cooperation" to "better fight against the networks of smugglers at work in migratory flows", explained the services of the Prime Minister. The entourage of Jean Castex insisted on the need "for a response made on a European scale to be effective" and "to find lasting solutions", in particular "by permanently attacking the smugglers".
A few minutes earlier, during a trip to Croatia, Emmanuel Macron had called for "stronger European cooperation in this area".
"France is a transit country, we are fighting against these networks of smugglers who use distress, but for this we must improve European cooperation", added the Head of State, arguing that "when these women and these men arrive on the shores of the Channel, it is already too late ".
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"Better prevent arrivals on French soil"
"We need to empower our partners and we need to strengthen cooperation with Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, but also the British and the Commission," he insisted. Emmanuel Macron had also mentioned "a series of meetings which will be held by the Minister of the Interior in the coming days to better prevent arrivals on French soil and to better integrate the British also in the prevention of these flows by dismantling the networks of smugglers ".
Jean Castex, in solitary confinement until the middle of next week after a positive Covid-19 test, held a meeting on Thursday morning by videoconference with his Ministers of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin, of Justice, Éric Dupond-Moretti , of the Armies, Florence Parly, of the Sea, Annick Girardin, of Transport, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and the Secretary of State for Europe, Clément Beaune.