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Rabat- France decided to reduce the number of visas granted to citizens from Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria.
The decision is driven by what France perceives as the refusal from the three countries to facilitate the return of its citizens living in France irregularly.
Gabriel Attal, the spokesman in the French government, discussed the French government’s position on reducing visas for citizens from the three North African countries with French media outlet Europe1 radio.
“We had a dialog with certain Maghreb countries, then came the threats,” Attal said today, September 28.
He said that his country is “carrying out these threats.”
France intends to cut by 50% the number of visas issued to Moroccan and Algerian citizens. Meanwhile, Macron’s department will reduce the number of visas issued to Tunisians by 30%.
Recent data compiled by Schengen Visa Info indicate that Moroccan travelers recieved the most French-issued Schengen visas in 2020.
The website said that travelers from Morocco secured 98,627 Schengen visas in the past year, followed by Russians (78,701), Algerians (73,276), and Chinese travelers (71,451).
France’s threats came after Morocco confirmed its commitment to help facilitate the return of migrants in an irregular status in European countries.
In June, King Mohammed VI ordered the government to address the issue of unaccompanied minors entering Europe.
The monarch “repeatedly stressed” Morocco’s firm commitment to accept the return of identified unaccompanied minors, a statement from Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in June.
The statement cited the establishment of cooperation mechanisms to enable migrants to return home, particularly France and Spain.
The Moroccan ministry pointed out that implementation of the cooperation has been delayed primarily due to “blockages” caused by complex procedures in certain countries.
Morocco also urged the EU and European countries to facilitate the operation.
