The English Channel migration route has become one of Europe’s most politically sensitive pressure points, as rising numbers of irregular small-boat crossings drive growing urgency on both sides. Brussels is now preparing a Channel Plan — a package of measures aimed at addressing the dire situation.
The route, linking France, the United Kingdom and Belgium, has in recent months emerged as a key test of the EU’s ability to coordinate responses to irregular migration amid mounting political pressure in several member states.
According to the European Commission, work on the action plan is already under way and it is expected to be finalised and published before the summer. “We are in contact with the authorities of all affected member states,” said Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert. The plan is expected to be unveiled around the upcoming European Council meeting scheduled for 18–19 June.
Small boats on the rise
Migration across the English Channel has become one of the most politically sensitive issues in the UK. The British government is facing mounting pressure to curb the number of people arriving by small boats. Tightening control over immigration was also one of the central political arguments behind Brexit. Campaigners promised that leaving the EU would allow the UK to “take back control” of its borders and reduce overall migration levels.
This pattern underscores a fundamental paradox at the heart of the Brexit debate: the institutional rupture increased net migration rather than reducing it. — Assaf Razin, National Bureau of Economic Research
However, analyses suggest that while migration patterns have changed since the UK left the EU, overall numbers have not fallen. Instead, the composition of migration has shifted significantly. The decline in EU free movement is offset by a sharp rise in non-EU migration under the UK’s new points-based system.
According to the British Office for National Statistics estimates, around 813,000 migrants arrived in the UK in 2025. The vast majority of them — 627,000 — from non-EU countries. The number of illegal entries has risen significantly. Last year, there were nearly 50,000 irregular arrivals, including 41,472 in small boats. That is almost five times higher than in 2020, the Brexit transition year.
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“This pattern underscores a fundamental paradox at the heart of the Brexit debate: the institutional rupture increased net migration rather than reducing it, revealing the primacy of labor-market demand and policy design over the political promise of tighter borders,” wrote economist Assaf Razin for the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Strengthening the external borders
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the forthcoming action plan in March 2026 in a letter on migration to EU leaders ahead of the European Council meeting. “Migratory pressure in the English Channel is increasing, requiring a structured response,” it reads.
Specifically, it speaks about close cooperation with the affected member states on a plan with “measures focused on strengthening external border management, promoting returns, fighting organized crime, and maximizing support from EU agencies”.
Pre-concerns came from Belgian civil society regarding victims of human smuggling in the Channel. “Since 2007, Belgium is the only EU member state to have a special protection status for victims of human smuggling with aggravating circumstances,” said the NGO Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen. The network organisation has been active in Flanders and Brussels advocating for the rights of people fleeing persecution and for a fair asylum and migration policy.
One in, one out
Meanwhile, to tackle the phenomenon, London and Paris introduced a “one in, one out” arrangement last year. Each migrant returned by the UK to France is matched by the transfer to Britain of another migrant considered to have a strong asylum claim.
At the same time, French authorities have intensified operations against smuggling networks in recent months. The British government has also significantly increased financial support to France to help prevent departures from the northern French coastline, particularly around Calais and Dunkirk.
Funding allocated for these efforts rose from €63 million in 2021 to €191 million for the 2024–2025 period. Further cooperation was formalised on 23 April, when French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and his British counterpart Shabana Mahmood signed a new agreement aimed at expanding and extending UK financial contributions to French authorities.
The paradox of current policy is harsh: the more resources go to intercepting migrants, the more lucrative and professional the smuggling networks become, and the more deaths occur in the Channel. — Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen
Under the new three-year deal, London is expected to provide France with €767 million. The funding will support not only surveillance and controls targeting small-boat departures, but also the construction of a major new administrative detention centre currently being built in northern France, set to become one of the largest facilities of its kind in Europe.
The centre will include offices for law enforcement authorities as well as a dedicated branch of the Dunkirk court tasked exclusively with handling migrant-related cases.
New pact in summer
“The paradox of current policy is harsh: the more resources go to intercepting migrants, the more lucrative and professional the smuggling networks become, and the more deaths occur in the Channel. Those deaths are not a tragic accident. They are a measurable consequence of political choices,” explained the Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen.
Beyond the upcoming Channel Plan, the EU is moving forward with its new Pact on Migration and Asylum, which is expected to take effect this summer and get into force 12 June. The legislation would enable member states to strike agreements with countries outside the EU concerning migrant returns, while also tightening border management rules.
The file has been discussed during the previous European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg as part of a trialogue negotiation and has been examined by the Council on 1 June.
