A German bid to close the migrant boat loop could be delayed

Doubts are growing that Germany will tighten its laws this year to make it easier to prosecute small boat smugglers, the BBC has learned.

People smuggling is not technically illegal in Germany if it is in a third country, which is the UK after Brexit.

Germany has agreed to close the loophole by the end of 2025.

But now the interior ministry in Berlin says it intends to introduce the bill to parliament by that date – and has stopped short of guaranteeing a time frame for final approval.

A spokesman would not be drawn on whether time was running out before the Christmas break – but told the BBC that the federal government had “no influence” on the parliamentary process once the bill had been approved by cabinet.

Some British officials are increasingly unsure whether there is enough space left in Germany’s parliamentary calendar this year, although the Home Office insists Berlin has not spoken of any bottlenecks.

A staffer in the Bundestag tracking the proposal said there could be a sufficient window “theoretically” but acknowledged it did not appear to be a government priority.

According to several sources contacted by the BBC, France is backing away from a recent commitment to intervene more forcefully at sea to stop small boats.

Britain’s Labor government is under pressure to show that closer international cooperation – agreements with other countries – can serve as an effective strategy to tackle small boat crossings.

A BBC investigation last year revealed how Germany, as a hub, is used by small boat smugglers to store dinghies which are then used for illegal English Channel crossings.

Berlin’s subsequent commitment to adapt the law – and make such activities more clearly illegal – was hailed by the UK as “further evidence” that its approach was “bearing fruit”.

Any delay is likely to frustrate the UK, which has long pressed Berlin to tighten its rules and enforcement.

According to the interior ministry in Berlin, a legal provision has been drafted to further expand “criminal liability for cross-border human trafficking in the United Kingdom”.

However, the ministry has not confirmed that the plans are yet to be approved by the Cabinet: a necessary step before they are placed before Parliament.

The proposals are not widely known in Germany, where domestic debate has focused on internal levels of immigration.

There is also some skepticism in Berlin about how much difference the change in law will make, meeting British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starr’s repeated pledge to “crush the gangs”.

Such an announcement was made almost a year ago Germany agreed to change the law – a few months after the BBC investigation.

The following July, with a landmark agreement, the UK and Germany said so The aim was for the Bundestag to adopt the legislation By the end of 2025.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz told the BBC at the time He believed that it would not take long to implement the changes after the summer break.

It will give German prosecutors “more tools to deal with the supply and stockpiling of dangerous small boat equipment,” according to the British government.

Currently, investigators have to rely on “collateral crimes” such as violence or money laundering – or use court orders from other countries to carry out raids.

A UK Home Office spokesman said: “We welcome Germany’s commitment to make illegal immigration to the UK easier”.

“The change in law is expected to be adopted by the end of the year,” he said, adding that the process was a matter for the German government.