Rishi Sunak set for new migrant talks with European nations

Daniel Leal/Pool via AP

Countries have gathered in Moldova for the European Political Community (EPC) summit, which is likely to be focused heavily on the Russia-Ukraine war. The first meeting was in the Czech Republic last year, with the U.K. set to host the meeting next year.

Despite the war in Ukraine being the main focus, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is keen to use this opportunity to make progress on one of his own domestic priorities. He warned that Europe was "facing unprecedented threats at our border" when he arrived in Moldova for the talks.

The EPC was founded when Russia began its invasion of Ukraine last year and includes 47 European nations. This includes European Union member states, the UK, Turkey, Norway and Balkan countries outside of the EU, as well as Ukraine.

The PM will meet with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. During these meetings, an announcement is expected that will see bilateral intelligence sharing increase and that Bulgaria will crackdown on criminal gangs involved in illegal migration.

Bulgaria and Greece are key entry points for migrants making their way into Europe and towards the U.K. Bulgarian authorities claim to have stopped 11,000 this year, marking a 40% increase from the same time in 2022.

A deal to return migrants from Britain to Georgia has come into effect, and Sunak will announce the start of talks on a similar agreement with Moldova at the summit. The Prime Minister will begin negotiations on a returns agreement with Moldova, which will allow the UK to return foreign nationals who have been found in violation of U.K. immigration laws.

In March, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced £10 million of British tax money to Moldova. The deal with Moldova won't see many Moldovans leave the U.K., as only 17 people from the country have entered Britain through irregular methods. The Prime Minister, however, has said the deal is to reduce the incentive for illegal arrivals.

Since 2018, over 90,000 people that we know of have crossed the English Channel in small boats. That number is believed to increase this summer, once again breaking the record. This is because the previous two years both saw record setting numbers of arrivals, with 28,526 coming in 2021, another 45,775 in 2022 and over 7,000 in 2023 so far.

Sceptics over the Prime Minister's plans are concerned about how much taxpayer money is being spent abroad, as small boat crossings continue to increase.