A new migration agreement between the United Kingdom and France is putting additional strain on the European Union’s already fragile asylum system, raising concerns among EU member states and humanitarian organisations.
The deal, announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, introduces a controversial “one in, one out” arrangement. Under the scheme, the UK will return asylum seekers to France in exchange for accepting other migrants who have not attempted to enter Britain illegally. The plan, which will launch with a pilot phase in the coming weeks, also grants French police expanded powers to intercept small boats in coastal waters.
This renewed Franco-British cooperation marks the first major EU leader state visit to the UK since Brexit and signals a thawing of relations between London and Brussels. However, while defence and trade cooperation are increasing, migration policy remains deeply divisive.
More than 20,000 migrants have already crossed the Channel into Britain this year, a figure up nearly 50% compared to the same period last year, according to the UK Home Office. With the rise of Reform UK and mounting pressure on the Labour government, Prime Minister Starmer is keen to reduce the number of Channel crossings. But critics argue this policy may simply displace migrants into other EU nations.
Former UK ambassador to France, Lord Peter Ricketts, emphasised that true progress can only be achieved through wider EU coordination, not bilateral deals alone.
The UK-France agreement has triggered concern among southern European countries. Italy, Greece, Spain, Malta and Cyprus wrote to the European Commission warning that the deal could place disproportionate pressure on first-entry nations. These states already struggle under the EU’s Dublin Regulation, which mandates that asylum seekers must lodge their claims in the first EU country they arrive in.
This regulation has led to significant backlogs and prolonged legal limbo for thousands of migrants, as many remain in arrival countries with limited resources. Critics argue the system is no longer fit for purpose.
Alexander Downer, a former Australian foreign minister who advised the UK on migration in 2022, said a more workable model would involve relocating refugees to safe third countries after their claims have been verified within the EU.
The EU’s proposed Asylum and Migration Pact, agreed in May 2023 and due for full implementation by 2026, aims to create a more coherent system. But with rising support for far-right parties and growing anti-immigration sentiment across Europe, several governments are now bypassing the pact and pursuing their own national policies.
Carmine Conte, senior policy analyst at the Migration Policy Group, warned that EU states are adopting an increasingly individualistic approach, undermining efforts to create a unified migration strategy.
The UK-France deal will also see French law enforcement granted broader powers to prevent migrant boats from launching in shallow coastal waters. This has raised alarms among NGOs, who fear that harsher enforcement measures will only push migrants towards more dangerous routes.
French police have previously used knives to disable migrant boats, a tactic that, according to aid workers, puts children in particular danger. Cutting a boat often causes it to collapse inward, risking the lives of those on board — especially children seated in the centre.
Katie Hall of Project Play, a grassroots charity supporting displaced children near the French coast, warned that legitimising such practices will heighten the risk of fatalities during crossings.
In 2024 alone, at least 73 people have died attempting to cross the Channel — more than in the previous six years combined. With no legal or safe asylum routes into the UK, many are left with no choice but to undertake these treacherous journeys.
Conte stressed that a lack of legal pathways is at the heart of the crisis. Without humanitarian corridors, sponsorship schemes, or meaningful resettlement programmes, thousands remain trapped in limbo, forced into perilous crossings out of desperation.
The UK-France migration deal may represent closer post-Brexit cooperation, but it is also exposing deep rifts within the EU’s asylum framework. As more states turn to unilateral responses, the need for a truly united and humane European migration policy becomes ever more urgent.
Unless legal pathways are expanded and fair responsibility-sharing mechanisms are implemented across the EU, both lives and solidarity will remain at risk.
