June 1 (SeeNews) - The United Kingdom will increase intelligence sharing with Bulgaria to help the country better detect and eliminate the business operating models of criminal gangs involved in migrant trafficking, UK prime minister Rishi Sunak said on Thursday.
The new partnership will build on past collaboration between the two countries in disrupting the flow of illicit finance through organised crime networks, Sunak said at the second meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) bringing together leaders from across the continent in Moldova. The EPC was established as an intergovernmental forum after Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year.
Located at the intersection of the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Balkans migration routes, which both have seen a 40% jump in illegal migration since 2021, Bulgaria is also becoming a key entry point for the small boats and engines that are used by criminal gangs to carry out illegal crossings into the UK via the English Channel, according to an earlier statement by the UK prime minister's office.
"We cannot address these problems without Europe’s governments and institutions working closely together. In every meeting, every summit, every international gathering like this, the security of our borders must be top of the agenda. The UK will be at the heart of this international effort to stop the boats and defend our national security," Sunak stated.
Last month, the UK and Albania agreed on a package of measures to tackle illegal migration, which include migrant return agreements and the setting up of a joint operational task force to manage illegal migration of Albanian citizens to the UK.
Migrant crossings into the EU surged by 64% last year, as organised criminal gangs tapped into cross-border European networks, according to the UK government statement.
Stemming the rising flow of illicit arrivals into the EU and the Schengen passport-free travel area has been a pressing issue and the growth of illegal migration one of the main concerns voiced last year when Bulgaria and Romania were yet again denied entry into the Schengen zone.
In March, the EU launched pilot projects on migration management with Romania and Bulgaria, with a focus in Bulgaria on the external EU border with Turkey.