Germany has pledged to tighten its laws to make it easier to prosecute people smugglers enabling small boat crossings to Britain, as the two countries signed a new agreement aimed at tackling immigration-related crime.
Berlin confirmed plans to reform its legal framework to make it a clear criminal offence to “facilitate the smuggling of migrants to the UK” as part of the deal, the Home Office said.
The reforms will provide German prosecutors with enhanced tools to address the supply and storage of dangerous small boats.
As part of the agreement, both countries will also commit to sharing information that could assist in removing migrant-smuggling content from social media platforms and targeting the full routes of criminal smuggling networks.
The announcement comes ahead of the UK and Germany co-hosting the so-called Calais Group in London, a meeting of ministers and police from the two nations, along with France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, to discuss migration issues in Europe.
At Tuesday’s meeting, delegates are expected to agree on a detailed plan to tackle people-smuggling gangs in 2025.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “For too long, organised criminal gangs have been exploiting vulnerable people, undermining border security in the UK and across Europe, and putting thousands of lives at risk.
“We are clear that this cannot continue.
“Germany is already a key partner in our efforts to crack down on migrant smuggling, but there is always more we can do together.
“Our new joint action plan will strengthen our partnership with Germany, boosting our respective border security as we address the root causes, ultimately saving lives.”
Nancy Faeser, Germany’s Federal Minister of the Interior, said: “We are now intensifying our joint efforts to combat the brutal activities of international smugglers.
“This is at the heart of our joint action plan agreed in London.
“It will enable us to put an end to the inhumane activities of criminal migrant-smuggling organisations.
“By cramming people into inflatable boats under threats of violence and sending them across the Channel, these organisations endanger human lives.”
She added that “many of these crimes are planned in Germany,” and the agreement would help counter “this unscrupulous business with even greater resolve.”
“This includes maintaining intense investigative pressure, optimising the exchange of information between our security authorities, and rigorously investigating financial flows to identify the criminals operating behind the scenes,” Ms Faeser said.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticised the announcement, stating it “doesn’t go far enough.”
He said: “The British public deserves a serious plan to control our borders and stop criminal gangs.
“The National Crime Agency has stated that a deterrent is necessary to reduce the number of crossings, yet Labour scrapped the only deterrent before it even began.
“Meanwhile, the number of illegal immigrants arriving here continues to rise, with an 18% increase compared to the same period last year, and over 20,000 people having made the crossing since the election.”