The UK and France are exploring a 'one in, one out' scheme to deter migrant crossings, which involves returning migrants to France in exchange for allowing asylum seekers with strong UK cases to enter Britain. While legally plausible under the UN Refugee Convention, the plan faces significant legal, political, and practical hurdles, including ensuring fairness, avoiding EU re-entry, and scaling the scheme effectively. The success of this pilot remains uncertain, and its impact on stopping migrant boats is yet to be seen.
Senior government officials believe a new Franco-British agreement aimed at returning migrants crossing the English Channel could be a breakthrough, but its success depends on whether it effectively deters crossings; critics argue the initial scale may be insufficient to significantly reduce numbers, and failure to do so could be seen as a failure of the deal.
The European Union (EU) has reached a "historic" agreement on a new migrant deal aimed at overhauling the bloc's asylum seeker processing system. The deal, known as the Pact on Asylum and Migration, is seen as crucial ahead of next year's EU elections. While EU leaders hailed the agreement as a pragmatic approach that does not copy right-wing policies, critics argue that it will set back European asylum law and lead to more detention and human rights violations. The deal still requires final agreement on all its parts and transcribing into law before the elections in June.
