Overview
- The French cabinet approved in June a reinterpretation allowing police, gendarmes and coastguard to intercept small boats within 300 metres of the coast.
- Prime Minister François Bayrou has set a 8 September confidence vote that could trigger a caretaker government and delay non‑routine measures.
- Government lawyers in France have already slowed the policy by raising concerns over compliance with international maritime conventions.
- Current practice bars intervention once boats are in the water unless rescue is requested, with interventions reported at about 43% this year.
- UK officials report fresh assurances from France’s Interior Ministry that the change will proceed, though French sources cited in UK media say a new administration would likely deprioritise it.