France, Britain to sign cooperation deal on migrants Thursday

France's Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and his British counterpart Theresa May will sign a deal this week to try and alleviate the migrant crisis in the northern port of Calais, the government said Tuesday.

The deal -- which will be signed in Calais -- will focus on securing the area where thousands of people desperate to get to Britain have gathered, tackling human trafficking rings and improving humanitarian aid for migrants, France's interior ministry said.

Cazeneuve will then travel to Berlin to meet his German counterpart Thomas de Maiziere for talks on Europe's migration policies, it added.

The situation in Calais has hit the headlines in the past weeks, as migrants make attempt after attempt to enter the under-Channel Eurotunnel to reach Britain, some paying for it with their lives.

And while France and Britain have tried to present a united front in tackling the migrant crisis, the issue has become a political hot potato between the two countries.

The two ministers will visit the site around Eurotunnel, where security has been increased, leading to a drop in the number of attempts by migrants to breach the tunnel.