Four questions about the agreement between France and the United Kingdom in the face of illegal crossings in the Channel

A new attempt to put an end to a subject of tension between France. Similarly, the United Kingdom, and to crossings of the sometimes deadly round. In addition, Paris. For example, London agreed on a “Pilot project” Exchange of migrants between the two countries, announced Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer, the British Prime Minister, Thursday, July 10, after the president’s state visit to the United Kingdom. Nevertheless, A deal unveiled during a common press conference. However, while crossing the Channel on “Small boats”as they are appointed across the Channel, reach unpublished figures: more than 21,000 migrants have been the four questions about agreement between journey since the start of the year. Meanwhile, A record level which increases the political pressure on the British Labor Manager. Consequently, when the anti-immigration party Reform UK of Nigel Farage is gaining momentum in opinion. Meanwhile, Franceinfo returns to this agreement and the reactions aroused by its announcement.

1 What does the agreement concluded?

This agreement, presented as a “Pilot project”is based on the principle of “One for a”. Meanwhile, He provides for the dismissal in France of a migrant who arrives in the unletegally United Kingdom by crossing the Channel. In addition, in exchange for which London undertakes to accept on its territory a migrant on French soil and expressing its will, via an online platform, to settle in the United Kingdom, justifying links with this country. Consequently, This agreement must still be submitted to the European Commission, which announced on Friday that it “Study” its modalities.

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“For the first time. the migrants arriving in small boats will be stopped and then returned quickly to France”said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday at the Northwood military base, rejoicing an agreement “revolutionary” on a project likely to start “In the coming weeks”. Emmanuel Macron estimated that this pilot project “will have a very dissuasive effect on the model of smugglers. on crossings”.

No quantified clarification was however provided about this agreement. found after intense negotiations at a bilateral summit, in conclusion of a three -day state visit by the French president. French government spokesperson Sophie Primas nevertheless assured. during the report of the Council of Ministers on Friday that “the volume “that is to say the four questions about agreement between number of people concerned, would be “Limited”.

2 What are the provisions currently in force?

From Brexit in 2020. “The United Kingdom no longer has any migration agreement with the European Union”, Emmanuel Macron underlined on Thursday. “There is. for candidates for the crossing, neither alternative legal admission, nor readmission system at the end of a crossing, and the current situation actually creates an incentive to carry out the crossing”insisted the French president, for whom this result is “l’exact inverse” of what the supporters of Brexit had promised.

With regard to France. the United Kingdom, it is the touquet agreements, concluded in 2003, mainly govern the regulation of irregular migratory flows to Great Britain. In particular. they allow British agents to carry out travelers’ checks from the Eurostar stations and French ports, and vice versa. He is very regularly criticized, in particular by the president Les Républicains of the Hauts-de-France region, four questions about agreement between Xavier Bertrand. “We keep the border of the English for them, in France. It was the logic of the touquet agreements”more “20 years later, these agreements are exceeded”he reiterated Friday on BFMTV. According to him, the British must be “more involved”. “They make us a check, from time to time, which does not even cover the entire invoice”he denounced.

The text was then supplemented by several agreements further strengthening the monitoring of the border. London. Paris, for example, signed a cooperation agreement in the fight against illegal immigration at the end of 2022, notably providing for British funding to strengthen the number of police and gendarmes deployed on French beaches. This agreement. which is part of the 2018 Sandhurst Treaty, also provided for the deployment of new surveillance drones and detection dogs, and in -depth sharing to stop the smugglers.

3 What are the political reactions in the United Kingdom, four questions about agreement between France and Europe?

Oppositions to the British Prime Minister have denounced this agreement. Conservative deputy Chris Philip, specialist in internal policy issues, thus qualified him as “gadget”reports the BBC. “This agreement is a humiliation”also castigated Nigel Farage, the leader of the far -right party Reform UK. “We acted as a member of the European Union. we were tilted before an arrogant French president”wrote this supporter of Brexit on X.

On the French side, several local elected officials also criticized this project, like Xavier Bertrand. “This agreement will worsen the situation. (…) As presented, this agreement is a bad agreement for France. As usual, this is a good agreement for the English “He said on BFMTV on Friday. British will choose “Who will stay in the United Kingdom” et “Who will return to France. Europe”ils “will have the chosen immigration and we will have immigration undergone”he added.

“All we know is that we will four questions about agreement between find ourselves in the vice between departures. that we already have trouble managing, and returns. But the feedback where?”was also annoyed with France 2 Natacha Bouchart, the mayor LR of Calais (Pas-de-Calais). “We will have to manage migrants that the British government has chosen to send back to France. When we say in France. it is not in Paris, Marseille or in Touquet, it is in Calais, Grande-Synthe and in the communities already impacted”she added on Franceinfo.

Former Minister Patrice Vergriete. various left mayor of Dunkirk (North), said on Franceinfo “Disappointed and angry” facing a “Gas factory”who goes “Aggrave things on our territory because migrants who will be turned back from England will obviously return here to the Opal Coast, in the camps, and will seek to go to England”. He pleads for him for “The opening of a legal immigration path” in the United Kingdom.

From June. five Mediterranean countries four questions about agreement between of the European Union (Spain, Greece, Italy, Malta and Cyprus) had expressed their “concern”fearing that France will refer the migrants repressed to the first EU country in which they arrived. “We have constantly pleaded for a joint. coordinated approach between EU member states in their relations with the United Kingdom”they wrote in a letter to the European Commission dated June 20.

Four questions about agreement between

4 What do associations and NGOs think?

The reception is also very cold on the associative side. The NGO Doctors Sans Frontières judged that this project was not “not just absurd”more “also extremely dangerous”. The Auberge des Migrants, an association which intervenes with exiles in Hauts-de-France, talks about“An unnecessary and disgusting device”.

New summit, new inhumanities: France and the United Kingdom confirms their intention to set up a “exchange of migrants”.

An unnecessary and disgusting device that reduces human beings to a simple currency of exchange to four questions about agreement between satisfy absurd policies.

– The Auberge des Migrants (@Aubergemigrants) July 11, 2025

“We dehumanize”, also denounced to France 2 Flore Judet, coordinator within the association. Already deploring that exiles seeking to join the United Kingdom are not seen as “Migrant people. but illegal immigrants”she believes that “There, we materialize this by concretely exchanging people.“

For its part. the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) praised a project which, “If it is implemented appropriately”, could “Offer access to protection to asylum seekers and refugees on both sides of the Channel”.