UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to hold discussions with the European Union’s Home Affairs Commissioner, Magnus Brunner, focusing on cooperation in law enforcement, migration management, and counter-terrorism efforts. The talks are scheduled for Monday, marking their second meeting within two months amid increased engagement between London and Brussels.
The meeting comes at a time when Northern Ireland Secretary Andy Burnham indicated his intention to advocate for the UK’s re-entry into several EU law enforcement databases, including the new migration-focused Eurodac system, following the UK’s exclusion post-Brexit. Burnham expressed optimism after meeting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, highlighting a willingness to explore restoring data sharing on immigration between the UK and EU as part of the upcoming EU-UK summit in November.
Focus Areas and Collaboration
The agenda includes discussions about migration flows, border management, law enforcement collaboration, and counter-terrorism. Recent data from Frontex shows a 43% drop in illegal small boat crossings of the English Channel, a decline Brunner attributes partly to new EU migration laws and shifting political priorities in member states like Germany, Italy, and France.
Brunner emphasized the indispensability of the UK’s contribution to suppressing irregular migration and referenced significant progress, noting a 55% reduction in illegal crossings at EU external borders over two years and record lows in asylum applications in major destination countries.
Potential Reinstatement of Access to Key Databases
A key part of the talks will involve the UK’s potential return to important EU law enforcement and migration databases. Eurodac collects biometric data, such as fingerprints and facial images of asylum seekers aged six and above, including security flags related to terrorism or serious crime. Another vital system is the Schengen Information System (SIS), which contains extensive data on missing persons, stolen goods, and fugitives across EU internal borders, with roughly 20 million daily searches primarily concerning vehicles.
The Home Office has not issued a comment regarding these discussions.
Additional Engagements
Following the meeting with Mahmood, Brunner is scheduled to meet with the MI5 Director General, Ken McCallum, and visit the National Counter Terrorism Security Office. He will also engage with senior officials at the UK’s child sexual abuse center, aiming to enhance joint efforts to combat such crimes. Brunner is similarly set to deliver a lecture at King’s College London focusing on the EU’s new Pact on Migration and Asylum, a legislative framework reshaping EU border management, asylum processing, and information sharing.
