Overview

• France’s interior ministry will introduce a maritime doctrine from early July allowing police to operate in shallow waters and intercept vessels up to 300 meters from shore.
• Channel crossings have risen 42% year-on-year, with over 16,300 migrants reaching the UK so far in 2025, marking the highest level for this period since monitoring began in 2018.
• Smugglers have adopted tactics such as running ‘taxi boats’ from hidden coastal points and transporting inflated dinghies by car to evade patrols.
• Downing Street and Élysée officials agreed at the G7 that the situation is deteriorating, and migration will be a key topic at the U.K.-France Summit in July.
• Police unions have raised safety concerns over sea operations, and groups like Care4Calais are preparing potential legal challenges against the new interception measures.