At the time, the French argue, no one could have predicted the extent of the current migrant problem. The agreement was originally signed as part of a broader agreement between Nicolas Sarkozy, then interior minister, and Interior Minister David Blunkett, closing the Sangatte Red Cross center near the entrance to Eurotunnel to France. open since 1999. In exchange, Britain agreed to take in half of Sangatte`s 2,000 migrants. Customs checks on Eurostar passengers are not affected by the agreements and take place on arrival after the train has departed. [1] [26] On 29 May 2000, France and the United Kingdom signed the « Additional Protocol to the Sangatte Protocol », an agreement which provides that France would establish immigration checkpoints at Eurostar stations in the United Kingdom and that the United Kingdom would establish immigration checkpoints at Eurostar stations in France. The United Kingdom has endeavoured to conclude the agreement with France, given that, for several years, many Eurostar passengers arrived in the United Kingdom without sufficient documents and a considerable number of them applied for asylum on arrival. By way of illustration, in the second half of 2000, about 4,000 passengers arrived in London Waterloo without the right documents. In addition, French law has no responsibility for SNCF, the French railway company, for verifying the travel documents of Eurostar passengers (in fact, SNCF was illegal under French law to carry out documentary checks), which meant that eurostar was a simpler way for illegal immigrants to travel from France to the UK than other means of transport (e.g.B. In contrast, an airline would be liable to a fine of £2,000 for each passenger without sufficient documentation carried in the UK, which would encourage airlines to check passengers` travel documents more carefully.
[20] The Additional Protocol later entered into force in France by Law No. 2001-409 of 11 May 2001[21] and in the United Kingdom by Channel Tunnels (International Arrangements) (Amendment No 3) Order 2001. [22] It is difficult to resolve sharp differences of opinion on the British border with France. Mrs May has given additional funding for border security in Calais – and has separately proposed Chinook helicopters to smuggle French troops more safely through Mali. Emmanuel Macron, the newly elected French president, promised during his campaign to renegotiate the Le Touquet agreement, which allows British border guards to carry out checks in France. Theresa May appeared to admit on Monday that the deal needed to be reviewed again by promising to defend border controls, arguing that they benefited France as much as Britain. On 15 December 1993, Belgium, France and the United Kingdom signed a tripartite agreement. This agreement allowed Belgian officials to carry out immigration checks before boarding at London Waterloo International station and British officials to carry out immigration checks before boarding at Brussels South station for passengers travelling by Eurostar Direct train between London and Brussels. [13] The tripartite agreement was then concluded in the United Kingdom by the tunnel channel (Commissions Misescellaneous) order 1994[14] in France by Law No 94-403 of 20 May 1994[15] and Decree No 98-172 of 10 March 1998[16] and in force in Belgium by the Law of 29 August 1997.
[17] THE MINISTER – This is the Le Touquet agreement; That is why there are British customs officers and border guards at Gare du Nord and Calais. This has not been clearly understood. It has still not been clearly understood. THE MINISTER – But they have to take responsibility. They have to tell us what they want. Today, we know they don`t want Theresa May`s approval. .
