Five major European countries have agreed to organise joint flights to deport illegal immigrants from the EU

BBC News:

Interior ministers for the UK, France, Italy, Spain and Germany - known as the Group of Five - announced the plan at talks in France ahead of the G8 summit.

Ministers hope pooling resources will help Europe beat illegal immigration.

France's Nicolas Sarkozy told Europe 1 radio that joint naval operations would take place in the Mediterranean to deter people-trafficking from Africa.

Italy, which would carry out the naval surveillance with France and Spain, says rising illegal immigration from North Africa is controlled by organised criminal gangs.

Joint French and Spanish naval operations could also take place in the Atlantic to curb drug trafficking.

Mr Sarkozy said the proposal to operate joint repatriation flights had been put forward by Spanish Interior Minister Jose Antonio Alonso.

The aircraft would tour the five nations to pick up illegal immigrants of the same nationality, then return them to their country of origin.

Such flights could begin within days, Mr Sarkozy said.

The French minister said he had proposed a "ceiling" on the number of immigrants allowed into the G5 nations each year.

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