British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are reportedly in talks to announce the “One Out Out” immigration trial deal on Thursday.
The trial scheme, first reported by the French outlet on Wednesday, involves returning the arrival of up to 50 small boats to France each week.
France accepts returning immigrants in exchange for the UK recruiting the same number of asylum seekers with family ties in the UK.
If successful, the trial will increase significantly, sources told the Le Monde newspaper.
Leaders were still debating details about the Thursday morning contract, including the date of the trial commencement.
Possible challenges to the agreement include the amount the UK is ready to invest in police forces for small boats, potential legal challenges in France, and the possibility of opposition from other European countries.
The UK put pressure on France change Approaching small boat intersections on the English Channel.
A loophole in French law prevents authorities from intervening when immigrants are at sea, allowing police to act only within 300 meters of the coast, unless rescue is required.
British politicians have urged French police to take stiffer behaviours against the boat after they leave the coast, including supporting law enforcement without them moving, as seen in recent footage of police officers using knives to drill holes in rubber dinghy near Boulogne, north of France.
In February, French Home Minister Bruno Leciro said he was open to amending the law to allow police to intervene.
French police are reportedly seeking additional funds to cover the costs of boats, police and drones needed to implement the changes.
In an interview with the BBC, British Defense Secretary John Healy said that the deal has not been confirmed yet, but the two countries “have the understanding and acceptance that this is the first shared challenge.”
The announcement is expected to come at the end of a three-day state visit. This is the first visit by the head of state of the EU member states since the UK officially left the European Union in 2020.
Cooperation in stopping the illegal transition across the English Channel after Brexit has hit several deals over the past few years that the UK has seen pay France to pay to increase coastal police and drone patrols.
On Wednesday, the two leaders agreed that the two leaders were a “sharing priorities” that needed a sharing solution that includes new deterrence that breaks the business model of people-crowded gangs, according to Starmer’s office.
They will aim for “specific advancements” on Thursday.
Additional sources •AP
