EU nations team up to repatriate illegal immigrants

Britain has agreed to collaborate with four other European Union countries on joint flights to repatriate illegal immigrants.

The deal comes after home affairs ministers from the UK, Spain, Germany, France and Italy met in the French town of Evian on Lake Geneva yesterday to discuss joint efforts against illegal immigration, the drugs trade, organised crime and human trafficking.

They agreed to begin fingerprinting visa applicants from countries with a record of high rates of illegal migration and adopt stricter screening at airports. France, Spain and Italy are also to create joint naval patrols in the Mediterranean to stop boats arriving from northern Africa.

Charles Clarke has proposed the so-called G5 countries share the cost of employing “airport liaison officers” in countries to help airline staff identify those travelling on illegal papers.