Several EU interior ministers have called for a new migration cooperation agreement with the UK, highlighting the need for joint efforts to address irregular migration. In a letter to the European Commission, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and former French counterpart Gérald Darmanin stressed the importance of collaboration with the UK, noting that Brexit has disrupted migration policy coordination within the bloc.
Irregular migration is a top political issue in the UK, Germany, and France. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently traveled to Rome to discuss migration with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, expressing interest in Italy’s asylum processing scheme with Albania, despite previously opposing similar plans. Starmer’s government is reportedly considering an offshore processing plan for asylum seekers.
Germany, facing growing support for the anti-immigration AfD party, has imposed stricter border controls, which may conflict with EU law. Similarly, France has shifted further right on immigration under President Emmanuel Macron, with the appointment of hardliner Michel Barnier as Prime Minister and Bruno Retailleau as Interior Minister, both of whom have vowed to reduce immigration.
While the EU has long pursued “border externalization” agreements with countries like Libya and Tunisia to prevent migration flows, recent political discourse has become more open about these strategies. Leaders are now focused on preventing migrants from leaving their home countries, as Starmer emphasized during his visit to Rome.