Dispute over migrants: "Dear Emmanuel" doesn't want to know anything about Johnson's plan

The tragedy of the drowned migrants was too severe to be taken lightly, said French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday.

He was responding to the letter sent to him by Downing Street on Twitter Thursday evening.

In it, Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on "dear Emmanuel" to sign a bilateral readmission agreement for all migrants who had entered the UK illegally.

Jochen Buchsteiner

Political correspondent in London.

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Michaela Wiegel

Political correspondent based in Paris.

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At the same time, Johnson called on the EU to start negotiations on a Europe-wide readmission agreement with Great Britain.

Johnson named the "EU agreement with Belarus and Russia" as a model.

He will also send his letter to the EU Council President, he wrote.

In another Twitter message, Johnson said that it will take time for the EU to come to an agreement.

He therefore expects a swift agreement with France on the readmission of the migrants.

The prospect of an immediate return of all illegally entered migrants to France would "significantly reduce the incentive for people to give their lives into the hands of smugglers".

Suggestions are "poor"

Macron described Johnson's proposals on Friday as "not serious". "I am surprised at the methods if they are not serious," said the president. Macron is working on a reform of the Schengen rules that should relieve transit countries. He announced that France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and the EU Commission would work out proposals on the migration challenge in Calais on Sunday. "After that we'll see if we can seriously work with the British once they've decided to be serious," he said.

The British Home Secretary Priti Patel was originally invited to the meeting in Calais. She was unloaded by the French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin after Johnson's letter. In the letter of rejection to Patel, Darmanin described Johnson's proposals for the unilateral withdrawal of all migrants by France as a "disappointment". They did not form a reliable basis for further discussions. The process of making the letter public before the French government was aware of it made the affair even worse. Government spokesman Gabriel Attal described London's proposals as "poor". The work of the French coast guards, police officers, gendarmes and sea rescuers is not recognized. The British government is aiming to "outsource the problems" to France."We are fed up with this duplicity," said Attal.

In London the reaction to Patel's arrival was surprised and incomprehensible.

Transport Minister Grant Shapps appealed to the French government to reconsider the decision "in their and our interests".

The crisis on the canal “cannot simply be solved by yourself”, he said.

“We absolutely have to work together.” Less diplomatic said the “Leader of the House of Commons”, Jacob Rees-Mogg: “Ridiculous behavior of the French government, which seems to have forgotten that two days ago 27 people died while crossing the canal “He wrote on Twitter.

Why do the migrants want to go on at all?

Government officials insisted that Johnson listed "common sense suggestions" in his letter. This included the offer to carry out joint patrols in the respective territorial waters, to use more surveillance technology such as drones and to coordinate police intelligence work more closely. Johnson had also offered Macron to "upgrade" the meeting in Calais and come himself. The Labor Party accused Johnson of "losing control". Prime Minister Johnson, like the Labor Party, wanted more cooperation, but instead managed to get his Home Secretary removed from the meeting.

Patel reaffirmed in the House of Commons that the British border guards were ready to reject boats from France. The PCS union, which represents thousands of border guards, threatened legal action and strikes. The move is "shocking" because it "clearly violates international law and is morally reprehensible". This attitude is also shared in large parts of the House of Commons. Patel and the government are under pressure to stop increasing migration across the canal. Recently, the populist Nigel Farage hinted that he could bring the issue back to the political stage.

The UK government is of the opinion that migrants leaving a safe third country like France should no longer be treated as refugees in the UK. According to information from aid initiatives, the desire to lead a life in the kingdom often has to do with personal connections, but also with the hope that it will be easier to cope with the language there, find work more quickly and be better treated.

The French Interior Minister Darmanin had accused the British on Thursday of attracting migrants with their "attractive labor market" and state benefits.

The irritable mood between London and Paris was also reflected on Friday in new demonstrations by French fishermen on the Channel coast.

They are protesting against the - from their point of view - hesitant issuing of licenses by the British authorities since Brexit.

In London, Brexit Minister David Frost received the Vice President of the EU Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, to make another attempt to settle the dispute over the implementation of the Withdrawal Treaty, in particular the Northern Ireland Protocol.