Rishi Sunak prioritises illegal migration in European talks

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said stopping illegal immigration and securing borders must be top of the agenda, as he meets fellow European leaders in Moldova.

He said Europe was "facing unprecedented threats at our border".

The UK has announced it will enter talks with Moldova on an agreement to return migrants arriving illegally.

It also says a similar deal with struck with Georgia has now entered into force.

However, the main focus of the European Political Community (EPC) summit is likely to be the Ukraine war.

Other common challenges that will be discussed include energy supplies and cyber security.

The EPC - championed by French President Emmanuel Macron - was formed in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year.

It includes 47 European nations - including European Union (EU) member states, the UK, Turkey, Norway and Balkans countries outside the EU.

While he is there, Mr Sunak is expected to announce the start of negotiations on a new returns agreement with Moldova to allow the UK to return foreign nationals found to be in violation of immigration law.

However, only three Moldovan nationals arrived in the UK on a small boat last year, according to Home Office statistics.

A similar agreement with Georgia has come into force. Around 300 Georgians arrived in the UK on small boats in 2022, and 31 in the first three months of this year.

The Times has reported that the UK is keen to increase cooperation with Turkey and Bulgaria as part of efforts to tackle small boats crossing the English Channel.

Ahead of the meeting at a castle in the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, Mr Sunak said: "Europe is facing unprecedented threats at our borders. From Putin's utter contempt of other countries' sovereignty to the rise in organised immigration crime across our continent.

"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."

Moldova, a country with a population of 2.6m wedged between the EU and Ukraine, is a former Soviet state, and, while its government looks West, pro-Russian separatists control its Transnistria region.

It has accepted thousands of Ukrainian refugees, and the EPC has promised it more support.

In March, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced £10m funding for Moldova's energy sector, as well as economic and governance reforms, including in the energy sector.

Mr Macron has said the new club of nations offers "a platform for political co-ordination" for countries inside and outside the EU.

But the EPC has no institutions or dedicated staff. That has provoked questions about how any decisions would be implemented.