Alongside defense, migration across the English Channel is the other major topic during Emmanuel Macron's state visit to the United Kingdom, which ends on Thursday, July 10. The French president was set to discuss the issue as early as July 9 during his bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and it is to be a central focus again at the Franco-British summit scheduled for the following day. The subject has long been a thorn in Franco-British relations, but politically, both leaders need to show progress as more than 20,000 people managed to reach the British coast on small boats during the first half of 2025 – a rise of nearly 50% compared to the same period last year.

Since the beginning of maritime crossings in late 2018, around 172,000 people have taken this perilous route on fragile boats, despite the significant resources deployed to monitor the border. Since 2018 and the signing of the Sandhurst Treaty between Paris and London – which supplements the 2003 Touquet Treaty – the United Kingdom has paid France €760 million for surveillance equipment, accommodation for additional law enforcement on the Opal Coast and the installation of video surveillance cameras in coastal towns and cities.

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