French government aims to establish a legal immigration path despite lack of enthusiasm from other EU states.
France is pushing for the European Union to negotiate a migration and asylum treaty with the United Kingdom in an effort to curb the dangerous Channel crossings made by migrants seeking to reach Britain. The French government, which recently took up the six-month rotating presidency of the EU Council, is advocating for a collective response from the EU, despite concerns from other member states that there is little interest in establishing such an agreement with the UK.
A senior official from the French government explained that the goal of an EU-UK treaty would be to provide a legal avenue for people to seek asylum in the UK. This would include the possibility of “reciprocity,” meaning that the UK could return individuals whose asylum applications are denied to the European country where they first arrived.
However, it is uncertain whether the UK would agree to these terms, given the history of disagreement during Brexit negotiations. The UK government previously rejected an asylum pact that would have allowed it to return asylum seekers to the EU, a provision that was in place when the UK was part of the EU. The UK has long opposed allowing asylum applications to be processed outside its borders, fearing it could lead to unfounded claims.
EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, noted that there is limited support among EU member states for a migration agreement with the UK, especially given the ongoing tensions over the Northern Ireland Protocol. In response, the French official argued that this is a broader European issue, pointing out that countries like France, Belgium, and the Netherlands are grappling with large numbers of people attempting to reach the UK.
