EU migration ministers sans UK to meet in Calais over ongoing English Channel crisis

Top European migration ministers are meeting in the French port of Calais on Sunday to discuss measures to check migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats. The meeting comes after 27 people lost their lives while attempting to cross the Channel to Britain in an overcrowded inflatable boat on Wednesday, November 14, according to a report by The Associated Press (AP). The incident sparked a new political crisis between Britain and France, which means British officials will skip the meeting at Calais City Hall. Meanwhile, both countries have also put blame on each other for not doing enough to discourage migrants from undertaking the perilous journey.

Meanwhile, the French government also gave an order to carry out a national organized crime investigation into the sinking, which has been dubbed as the deadliest migration tragedy to date. Those on board included Iraqi Kurds and at least one Somali, however, the identity of the majority are yet to be established. Ministers from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France are expected to meet in Calais. In addition, officials from the European Commission and EU border agency Frontex and police agency Europol will also be in attendance.

The leaders will also discuss smuggling networks, which charge between 3,000 and 7,000 euros for the crossing of the English Channel. Gérald Darmanin, France's interior minister, stated that an automobile with German plates had been confiscated as part of the inquiry, reported The AP. Instead of just additional police, aid groups urge for more humane, coordinated asylum policies. A large number of Sudanese and Kurdish people from Iran and Iraq huddle in the rain at camps near the French coast, waiting for their turn to cross the Channel.

This year, as a result of pandemic travel restrictions and Brexit, the number of people attempting to cross the Channel in small boats has substantially increased. However, as compared to other European countries, the number of migrants arriving in the UK is still quite modest. After a record 1,185 migrants crossed the English Channel on November 11, Prime Minister Boris Johnson had asked France to 'close off' the flow of migrants crossing into their country in order to prevent them from sailing to the United Kingdom. The UK Prime Minister had also slammed French President Emmanuel Macron's government for not policing their beaches to prevent migrants from sailing to Britain in boats.

(With inputs from AP)

Image: Twitter/@communeamos/AP