The United Kingdom and Belgium intend to strengthen cooperation in tackling the smuggling of people from the area of the Flemish coast closest to the French border into the UK. The authorities in West Flanders say that currently smugglers and migrants intending to cross the Channel into Britian are being intercepted daily in the area.
On Thursday the Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (Francophone liberal) visited a police operation in Adinkerke near De Panne (West Flanders). He was joined by UK Migration Minister Alex Norris (Labour). Both ministers said they want to deepen cooperation to address the issue of people smuggling.
Mr Quintin told journalists that “We already have good cooperation with our British colleagues, but we want to further strengthen the exchange of information. Since Brexit, this has become more difficult. We need an appropriate legal framework to ensure a smooth exchange of information.”
Mr Quintin added that efforts are also underway to improve cooperation in police operations.
“There’s already good cooperation, but we want to strengthen it further. We’re already receiving staff and resources from the UK, but we’re exploring how we can further improve that cooperation. It’s crucial that we intervene quickly now that we’re seeing this phenomenon occur more frequently here. In this way, we can prevent the situation from escalating.”
Mr Norris also highlighted the importance of close collaboration between the two countries. “Belgium is a key ally in the fight against illegal migration. We already have good cooperation and want to continue working closely together in the future to get the situation under control.”
The governor of West Flanders Carl Decaluwé (Christian democrat) has long called for additional support. He said that he is encourage by the fact that the issue of illegal migration to the UK via West Flanders is receiving attention from leading politicians.