Published on •Updated
The European Commission is working to resolve concerns that Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta and Spain – the so-called “Med 5” – have flagged in a letter related to an Anglo-French migration pact under negotiation, an EU spokesperson said today.
The letter from the Med 5 to the Commission cites “serious concerns about the potential consequences [of the deal] for other EU countries, especially those on the frontline”, EU sources told Euronews.
The letter flagged issues with the fact that the agreement is being negotiated outside the EU framework, and that it might increase migratory pressure on the EU’s southern border, according to the sources.
An EU official said that Italy and Spain are the chief orchestrators of the letter, while Cyprus and Greece supported it primarily out of solidarity with their fellow Mediterranean countries.
What the deal involves
The British and French governments are discussing a “one-for-one” pilot scheme, allowing the UK to return irregular migrants who cross the Channel in small boats to France.
In exchange, the UK would accept migrants currently in France who are seeking family reunification in Britain.
The French Interior Ministry has told several media outlets that the scheme aims to discourage smuggling networks.
Although no official timeline has been provided, French and British authorities are reportedly in the final stages of negotiations, according to EU sources.
A Franco-British summit expected to take place during French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to the UK from 8 to 10 July is considered a likely occasion.
The partnership is intended to ease pressure on the UK’s asylum system while providing France with a legal pathway to relocate migrants who are already on its territory.
However, other EU countries worry that migrants returned to France from the UK could eventually be transferred further south.
Under EU law, irregular migrants must apply for asylum in the first EU country they enter. Many of those who reach the UK after crossing the Mediterranean or following the Balkan route have passed through several EU countries before arriving in France.
Those returned to the European mainland who decide to seek asylum within the EU would be required to apply in their first country of entry – likely one of the Med 5 – meaning migrants rejected by the UK could end up being relocated by France to southern European states.
According to the UK government, there were 44,125 irregular Channel crossings in the year ending March 2025 – a 14% increase compared to the previous year. The Migration Observatory at Oxford University reported that from January to May 2025, there were approximately 14,800 small boat crossings, marking the highest number ever recorded during that period.
Central and Western Mediterranean routes for irregular migration – leading to Italy and Spain respectively – saw slight increases in the first months of 2025 compared to the previous year (7% and 6%, respectively), according to Frontex. Greece, by contrast, experienced a significant 30% decrease in irregular crossings from the Eastern Mediterranean route compared to 2024 over the same period.
According to the latest data available on Eurostat, France reported the second largest number of outgoing requests to relocate asylum seekers to other EU countries, 48.724, in 2023. By contrast, Italy received the largest number of incoming requests to take in irregular markets of all EU countries: 42 468.
Read the full article here