Germany, UK negotiate to strengthen human trafficking laws

PA Media

Germany is set to strengthen its laws to make it easier to prosecute those who help smuggle migrants into the UK as part of new plans agreed between the two countries.

Currently, it is not technically illegal to promote human smuggling in Germany. This is the case for third countries outside the EU (including the UK after Brexit).

The Interior Ministry said that under the new agreement Germany had committed to making such acts a clear crime.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the “groundbreaking” agreement would help tackle criminal gangs organizing small boat crossings.

The Conservatives said the plan “does not go far enough” and would not provide the deterrent needed to reduce crossings.

A five-month BBC investigation earlier this year revealed significant German links to small boat crossings of the Channel, including smugglers operating from the West German city of Essen.

The new joint UK-German deal comes as the Home Office's own Border Security Command warned that Channel crossings were “the most dangerous they have ever been”.

Charlie Eastaugh, the command's head of international operations, told the BBC: “We have seen tire inner tubes being used instead of life jackets. This is very dangerous and a death trap.”

“There are fewer boats and engines to supply. We have seized more than 450 boats and engines across Europe and organized crime groups are taking greater risks.

“We are seeing an increase in the number of people boarding these boats due to the disruptive work we have been carrying out with our law enforcement partners in Europe.”

German Ambassador to the UK Miguel Berger said that smuggling people into the UK was already effectively illegal because it had to go through EU countries such as France and Belgium.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today program on Tuesday: “I think we can collectively put a lot of pressure on these criminal networks if we also work together in transit countries and countries of origin.”

British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has signed a new agreement with German Home Minister Nancy Faeser.

More than 33,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats this year, more than 29,000 last year but less than the record number in 2022.

This year alone, more than 70 people died trying to cross the river, and the average number of people per boat increased from 10 in 2019 to 53.

The Labor government, which came to power in July, scrapped plans by the previous Conservative government to block border crossings by sending people traveling to Rwanda.

Instead, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the government would focus on cracking down on the criminal gangs that facilitate the crossing.

As part of this approach, Interior Minister Yvette Cooper signed an agreement with German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser pledging cooperation to crack down on smuggling.

The Joint Action Plan includes Germany's intention to make clear that activities facilitating the smuggling of migrants into the UK will be considered a criminal offence.

The two countries also pledged to “exchange expertise with a special focus on removing migrant smuggling content from social media platforms.”

The UK government said: “Once enacted, these anticipated changes to the law are expected to result in a significant increase in the number of prosecutions relating to migrant smuggling.”

Last October the BBC exposed the activities of small boat smugglers based in Germany, including how they used multiple secret warehouses to evade German police.

At the time, a source in Britain's Home Office told the BBC there was “frustration” with Germany's legal framework. Germany's legal framework did not technically consider smuggling to countries outside the European Union (EU) illegal.

In a speech on Monday, Cooper said the partnership would help the UK track down gangs “who have been on the run for too long”.

“It will help put an end to the inhumane activities of criminal immigration smuggling organizations,” Faeser said.

“Many of these crimes were planned in Germany. Together we now stand even more decisively against this unscrupulous enterprise.”

Commenting on the announcement, Conservative Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “The British people deserve a serious plan to control our borders and tackle criminal gangs.”

“The National Crime Agency said deterrence was needed to reduce the number of crossings, but Labor scrapped the only deterrent before it even started.

“Meanwhile, the number of illegal immigrants coming here continues to rise, up 18% compared to the same period last year, and more than 20,000 people have crossed the border since the election.”

PA Media

Yvette Cooper met with Calais Group countries on Tuesday to discuss immigration.

The plan was signed ahead of a meeting in London on Tuesday by the Calais Group, a group of Nordic countries focused on tackling illegal migration.

Cooper joined ministers and police from Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands to discuss migration to Europe.

Sir Keir said he wanted to reduce both regular and irregular migration but avoided setting a target to reduce numbers, insisting “arbitrary” limits would not be effective.

Privately, Labor ministers have acknowledged that addressing illegal immigration will be key to their ratings with voters.

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