This morning, the authorities were alerted to a accident in the English Channel involving a makeshift boat in distress. Unfortunately, several deaths have been confirmed.

Our hearts go out to all those affected by this tragic event and, on behalf of France and the United Kingdom, we address Our condolences relatives of the interested parties.

TO a coordinated response to this terrible tragedy has been put in place, with the French and British actors working together. We salute the commitment of all who contributed to it.

This tragic accident – like the disappearance of at least 27 people on November 24 of last year – is a stark reminder of the urgent need to destroy the smugglers’ business model. We have avoided more than 30,000 crossings so far this year ; Together with other European partners, including Europol, we have made more than 500 arrests since 2020.

We recently agreed on a renewed bilateral framework to combat illegal immigrationwith a closer collaboration and information sharinga major number of French agents equipped with the latest technologies to patrol the French coastsand British and French agents who work with the other country’s teams asintegrated observers. We also held a meeting in Calais format (Germany, Belgium, France, Great Britain, The Netherlands) in Brussels on December 8 and decided, with our European neighbors, to intensify our police, border and judicial cooperation at their counters, with the support of the EU agencies.

Today’s tragic accident highlights the importance of moving forward together.