French President Wants to Revise Deal With UK on Undocumented Migrants – Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – French President Emmanuel Macron wants to push for revising the joint UK-French Le Touquet agreement on undocumented migrants during his official visit to the country later this week, media reported on Monday.

Signed in 2003, Le Touquet agreement allows UK border officials to carry out identification document checks at English Channel ports in France, while French officials perform similar checks in the United Kingdom. The deal means that any undocumented migrants found by UK officials in France are barred from entering the United Kingdom before they reach the country's border.

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Macron wants to raise the issue during Thursday’s bilateral summit in order "to obtain a certain number of improvements from the UK," the Financial Times media outlet reported, citing an Elysee official.

The parties are reportedly going to discuss ways to amend the treaty or replace it with a new agreement.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokesperson, in turn, said that Le Touquet agreement was profitable for both countries.

The influx of migrants and refugees across the English Channel erupted after the emergence of the Calais camp in northern France in 2015, which hosted people who wanted to reach the United Kingdom. The camp was closed in 2016, but refugees have since started gathering there again.