A National Assembly fact-finding committee published on 8 July paints a bleak picture of migration management on the northern French coast. Rapporteur Elsa Faucillon says 40 years of Franco-British agreements have left Calais in “a dire humanitarian situation” while failing to deter crossings. The report brands the 2025 “one-in, one-out” arrangement – under which the UK can return small-boat arrivals if it accepts an equivalent number of asylum seekers from France – as unbalanced and opaque. As of 11 June, 951 people had been sent back to France but only 935 admitted to the UK, against more than 40 000 who reached England in 2025. MPs criticise France’s acceptance of “sub-contractor” status funded by British cheques and demand that future accords receive parliamentary ratification. Recommendations include banning weapons during beach interceptions, abandoning dangerous at-sea boarding tactics pressed by London, and creating dignified reception centres along the coastline. For companies relocating staff through Calais or Dunkerque ports, the findings signal potential policy shifts that could alter police tactics and processing times at juxtaposed controls.
Source: Le Monde
