Following record levels of Channel crossings in 2021, both the UK and the EU have acknowledged the need to strengthen border management capacity and dismantle smuggling networks. In this context, the discussion on future EU-UK relations has focused strongly on migration control, side-lining possible areas of further cooperation, such as mobility schemes for people with protection needs.

Against this background, this roundtable will focus on exploring broader common objectives for the future EU-UK partnership in the areas of asylum and migration. Key questions to be considered include: what could an effective and balanced cooperation that goes beyond the goal of reducing Channel crossings look like? How could safe and legal routes, and return operations, be promoted in a way that meets the interest of both sides? And should EU-UK cooperation be strengthened by means of bilateral or multilateral agreements with member states, or via an EU-wide arrangement? In addition, in the wake of the war in Ukraine and the need for the international community to jointly address the refugee situation, how can the EU and the UK cooperate to specifically address the needs of displaced Ukrainians?

Our roundtable will bring together EU and UK representatives, civil society organisations and experts to explore these and other questions.

The discussion will be moderated by Alberto Neidhardt, Policy Analyst at the EPC, and will be held under Chatham House rules.