Sunak calls for widespread immigration reform in Europe

Rishi Sunak wants Europe to work together to handle the increasing amount of people coming into the continent without following proper procedures.

At a special meeting of European leaders in Spain, the prime minister said that the situation was not right and cannot continue in the long term.

He asked for new and creative solutions for the migration problem in Europe. This means that he wants to stop people who smuggle others into the continent and make the borders more secure.

On Thursday, the prime minister asked European leaders to work quickly to deal with illegal migration. This request was made in an article written together with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in The Times newspaper.

The duo mentioned that the current plan is not effective and we need to work together more closely and take stricter actions to stop the people who help others illegally immigrate.

Italy has had over 100,000 migrants arrive on its shores this year, which is five times more than the UK.

During the summit, Mr Sunak and Meloni led a meeting with other leaders. They reached agreements with Belgium, Bulgaria, and Serbia to combat criminal networks. This would be achieved by sharing more information and collaborating more closely in their actions. Serbia is an important country for migrants coming into Europe and moving through.

The summit is a meeting of 47 leaders from European and non-European countries. They are part of a new organization called the European Political Community, which was created last year after Russia invaded Ukraine. The main point of this is to talk about the war, but it is also a chance for leaders to have broader, less formal talks.

Even though Mr Sunak spoke out against the UK getting closer to the European Union in his speech, he does seem more open to working with other European countries on immigration, which was one of his important goals during the election.

He said he will stop the little boats with people coming from other countries from coming across the English Channel. Even though the numbers are lower than last year, more than 20,000 people have already come this year.

We do not know yet if other European leaders have the same priorities as Mr. Sunak, or if they might work together on common goals. EU countries, especially, have had a hard time coming to an agreement on how to divide the challenges of migration.

The EU agreed on Wednesday to change its internal asylum rules. This will make it simpler for countries such as Italy and Greece to receive assistance from other EU members when there is a sudden increase in irregular migration. Some EU countries, including Spain, want to talk about new ways for people to migrate legally.

But Mr Sunak is mainly concentrating on dealing with the main reasons for the problem, which are criminal people smugglers. This would need countries from both inside and outside of the EU to work together more closely.

In a statement before the meeting, Mr. Sunak said that the amount of people migrating illegally to mainland Europe is the highest it has been in almost ten years. Many people are dying in the ocean due to the actions of people who smuggle them. This is wrong and cannot continue. We cannot let bad groups decide who enters Europe.

When it comes to dealing with the problems caused by Russian President Vladimir Putin, dealing with the risks and benefits of artificial intelligence, or addressing illegal migration, it is better to work together and be united.

“I will be talking about these problems that go beyond one country and need innovative solutions that cover all of Europe with my fellow leaders at the European Political Community summit in Spain today. ”

Mr Sunak also said that more help will be provided to Ukraine for humanitarian reasons. He also talked about how Western allies can assist Ukraine in increasing its grain exports.

The government has shared information saying that Russia is getting ready to put explosive devices in the sea near Ukrainian ports.

The Foreign Office wants to prevent Ukrainian grain from being sent out of the country by going after civilian ships that transport it through the Black Sea.