LONDON (Reuters) – As part of an agreement with the EU’s border agency Frontex, Britain will get access to the bloc’s intelligence on criminal gangs engaged in human trafficking. This is just one more example of how the two sides will work together more closely following Brexit.
According to the British government, the agreement between the EU and Britain will make it easier for both parties to train officials, share information and strategies, and work together on emerging technology to stop illegal immigration.
On Friday, representatives of the UK and the EU will formally sign a deal in London.
British Home Secretary James Cleverly stated, “People smuggling and organised immigration crime are global challenges that require shared ambitions and solutions.”
Stopping the entry of small boats carrying asylum seekers from France is one of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s five top priorities. He hopes a decrease in arrivals will help his Conservative Party, which is trailing in polls, pull off an unexpected victory at a general election later this year.
While the UK has struck bilateral arrangements, such as a recent agreement with Albania to combat illegal immigration and dismantle people-smuggling gangs, it no longer has return agreements with the EU as a result of its exit from the bloc in 2020.
According to a Home Office official, the new arrangement does not have a returns agreement, and Britain will not be making any financial payments to the EU as part of it.
The agreement is Sunak’s most recent attempt to strengthen ties between the UK and the EU.
After two years of post-Brexit impasse over scientific funding, Britain announced last year that it would rejoin the EU’s flagship Horizon science research initiative.
Last year, a deal was also made between the two parties regarding trade with Northern Ireland.
