French President Macron visited Le Perti in the border region of the Pyrenees-Orientales and announced that he would strengthen border control and double the frontier inspection manpower to combat the threat of terrorism, human trafficking and illegal immigration. .
According to Agence France-Presse, Macron stated that there are currently 2,400 police, gendarmerie, and military personnel in France performing border inspections, which will increase to 4,800 to combat illegal immigration and trafficking networks. “These networks are increasingly associated with terrorists. Ism organizations are linked together”. On October 29, the principal culprit of the terrorist attack in Nice, France that killed 3 people was a 21-year-old Tunisian who came to Europe via Lampedusa, Italy, which also reignited discussions on border control issues. Macron emphasized that after the attacks in Nice, France and Vienna, Austria, the threat of terrorism facing Europe has increased.
Macron also stated that he is in favor of “complete reforms” of the rules for the free movement of people in the European Schengen area and strengthening border controls. He will make preliminary proposals to the Council of Europe in December, requesting that the organization of the Schengen Agreement be reconsidered, the joint protection mechanism of member states on border issues should be strengthened, and a real security force should be established at the external border. He hopes that this reform will be successful during his presidency in the first half of 2022. Macron stated that the purpose of the reform is to make the Schengen area more cohesive, so as to better protect the common border and better clarify the need for responsibility and unity. “The burden should not fall on the country that originally joined.”
On the border between Le Perti in France and La Junque in Spain, about 35,000 cars pass through every day, and Spain is one of the main gateways for illegal immigrants to enter France from the coast of North Africa. According to a border police official, more than 4,000 immigrants in the Pyrenees-Orientales have been denied entry in the past three months, twice the normal rate. Some of them are Algerians trying to enter France.
