France and Britain on Thursday pledged to step up the fight against illegal Channel crossings and agreed to extend a key border security deal until 2027.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau and British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper sought to present a united front as they visited the resort of Le Touquet in northern France.
"Our discussions are a little harsh when it comes to money,” France’s hardline interior minister said at a joint press conference.
But he quickly added: "We agree on the objectives and we always manage to come to an agreement in the end.”
Illegal border crossings have long been a sticking point in ties between Britain and France. Faced with tighter security, both smugglers and undocumented migrants are now taking greater risks, experts say.
Last November, Retailleau said Britain could no longer "sub-contract” Channel border security out to Paris, with no end in sight to the flows of migrants heading across the waterway.
Retailleau at the time called on London to do more to combat the issue and urged British authorities to open legal "admission channels” for those wishing to reach its territory.
Cooper said on Thursday that the fight against illegal migration should be strengthened, "both here in northern France between the UK and France” and across Europe.
The two ministers agreed to extend a border security deal known as the Sandhurst Treaty until 2027.
Under the agreement signed in 2018, the UK is funding some of France’s border security measures to stop migrants trying to reach British shores.
Retailleau also called for a new approach that would allow French forces to intercept boats even when they are already in the water, to counter the new tactic of "taxi boats” that pick up migrants directly in the water to avoid checks on the beaches.
At present French authorities do not intervene once boats are afloat except for rescue purposes, citing safety concerns.
The two ministers also flew over the coastline and visited security facilities partly financed by Britain.
Projects to be co-financed by 2027 include an additional administrative detention center in the port city of Dunkirk in northern France.
More than 36,800 people crossed the Channel between England and France in 2024, up 25 percent on the previous year.
At least 78 people died trying to reach Britain by sea in 2024, a record since small boat journeys across the Channel increased in 2018.
