UK-France: 'Sandhurst Treaty' on border control cooperation: full-text, plus other documents agreed at UK-France summit
24 January 2018
Support our work: become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.
UK-France
'Sandhurst Treaty' on border control cooperation: full-text, plus other documents agreed at UK-France summit
24.1.18
Follow us: 
| 
| Tweet
"French President Emmanuel Macron met Theresa May, UK Prime Minister, during a French-UK Summit at Sandhurst on 18 January 2018, where they signed a new protocol on migration control.
The “Sandhurst Treaty” is an addition to the Touquet Agreement, which is a bilateral treaty dating back to 2003 and signed between France and the UK that has allowed for juxtaposed border controls. The agreement has been criticized as imbalanced in making France responsible for all asylum seekers refused entry into the UK.
...it is reported that, on top of an additional contribution of 50 million euros, the UK has agreed to accelerate the examination and the transfer of unaccompanied minors from France to the UK.
This development falls within President Macron’s campaign promise to resolve the situation in Calais and improve the asylum system in France. A bill outlining reforms to asylum policy is expected to be made public in February. The draft law was partially revealed to French civil society on 11 January 2018, the main tenets of which consist of shorter deadlines for processing of applications, and an increase of the maximum period of administrative detention. While visiting Calais earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that France would not let another “Jungle” take root again and that the State will henceforth be taking charge of providing food for all asylum seekers in Calais, a task which had been solely lifted by NGOs."
See: New Agreement over Border Control in Calais (ECRE, link)
Documentation from the summit (pdfs)
United Kingdom-France Summit Communique - Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, 18 January 2018
Agreed documents on: Security and Defence- Protecting our Internal Security- Cyber and Digital Security
Further documentation available: UK-France Summit 2018: documents(Home Office, link)
Search our database for more articles and information or subscribe to our mailing list for regular updates from Statewatch News Online.
Our work is only possible with your support.
Become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.
Spotted an error? If you've spotted a problem with this page, just click once to let us know.