Calais mayor blames ‘soft-touch’ Britain for border problems
THE mayor of Calais has blamed problems with migrants in the French port on Britain’s immigration policy.
In a withering attack on the the Government’s approach to Europe, Natacha Bouchart blasted Britain for providing “no support” to French authorities.
“A country cannot remain both in and out of Europe, creating problems but providing no compensation and no support to local authorities such as mine and others, which are left alone to assume huge responsibilities,” she said in an interview with the Council of Europe’s Journal.
The French coastal town has been overwhelmed with migrants travelling from across Europe who gather in Calais before attempting to cross the Channel.
They can get social welfare support that doesn’t exist in other countries
She claimed migrants were keen to travel to Britain as it was easy to find casual employment without ID cards, which are common in continental Europe.
“There are no ID cards. They can easily find work outside the formal economy, which is not really controlled,” she said.
“They can get social welfare support that doesn’t exist in other countries.”
Ms Bouchart added that the UK was "not really interested" in assisting French authorities, who she admitted were struggling to cope with the influx.
“The city of Calais has to deal with the problems caused by an EU country that has not adopted the EU rules contained in the Schengen agreement.
“The UK is not really interested since border controls take place on French soil. It provides no support to the city of Calais, nor to the local population, and it leaves the mayor of Calais to manage the problem without financial assistance.
“It’s truly an enormous responsibility and hugely difficult for me personally as mayor of a town of 75,000 inhabitants.”
