The British Prime Minister and the French President agreed to work more closely together.
(Photo: dpa)
Paris The years of conflict between France and Great Britain after Brexit should be a thing of the past: President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tried to renew their relations at a summit on Friday in Paris. Macron met Sunak by promising to take stronger action against the onward journey of migrants across the English Channel.
Earlier this week, the British Prime Minister introduced a new law against illegal migration, which is intended to limit the sharp increase in the number of boat people crossing the Channel. Last year alone, more than 45,000 people came to Great Britain on this route – many of them starting their dangerous journey on the northern French beaches.
“We have agreed that it is necessary to strengthen our intervention and surveillance capacities,” Macron said of the migration pact. The agreement provides for the government in London to contribute around 540 million euros to French border protection over the next three years. A joint command center is also to be created – and a British-financed deportation prison in northern France.
“Criminal gangs must not decide who comes to our countries,” Sunak said. Macron also said that the action was aimed at gangs of people smugglers. As early as 2022, more than 1,300 illegal crossings were prevented. More than 50 criminal organizations have been blown up.
When France and Great Britain held their last bilateral summit in early 2018, Theresa May was still in power in London. Even then, the atmosphere was tense due to the dispute with the EU over the Brexit modalities, but during the tenure of May’s successor Boris Johnson, relations slipped a real crisis.
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Things didn’t get any better under the short-term prime minister, Liz Truss. When Truss was asked last year if Macron was “more of a friend or foe,” she left the answer open. Five years passed without a summit meeting. In the past, the two countries met every two years for talks.
“Merci, mon ami” – new tone between Paris and London
“This is clearly a moment of reunion, reconnection, and a fresh start,” Macron said at a joint press conference with Sunak. The British Prime Minister thanked him in French with the words “Merci, mon ami” (“Thank you, my friend”). Macron and Sunak had previously exchanged rugby shirts – a sport that unites both countries.
France and Great Britain also want to work more closely together on defense issues and on energy policy – especially on nuclear power. The French power company EDF is currently building a new nuclear reactor at Hinkley Point in the UK and has an order for another reactor at Sizewell.
Macron and Sunak reiterated their support for Ukraine in the war against Russia. “We must put our Ukrainian friends in the best possible position so that they can determine the timing and terms of the negotiations,” said France’s president. Sunak stressed that Kiev must win the war. Therefore, weapons would be supplied and soldiers would be trained.
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