Rabat – As France braces for the second round of legislative elections on July 7, the National Rally (RN) party’s proposed policies are stirring significant debate.
At the forefront is Jordan Bardella, RN leader, poised to potentially assume office in Matignon, who advocates for a controversial “national priority” approach to social benefits and border control.
Bardella’s plan involves reserving social benefits exclusively for French citizens and making certain benefits, such as the RSA (active solidarity income) – unemployment benefits -contingent upon five years of employment in France.
This is the latest episode in Bardella’s anti-migration crusade, which aims to exclude non-French nationals from the country’s troubled welfare system.
The Council, led by former Socialist Prime Minister Laurent Fabius, highlighted that while some residency conditions could be imposed, they must not undermine the nation’s solidarity policies for disadvantaged individuals.
Double Border Control Proposal
A cornerstone of Bardella’s crackdown on immigration is a policy called the “double border” system. The policy aims to tighten controls at the EU’s external borders while reinstating national border checks to restrict Schengen area movement to European citizens only.
This proposal faces significant legal challenges. The Schengen agreements guarantee freedom of movement within the EU, making it difficult to implement such controls without violating international agreements or resorting to racial profiling.
Bardella’s proposal is not an isolated incident. Since 2015, eight EU countries, including France, have reintroduced internal border checks, citing security concerns.
Recently, the European Union reformed the Schengen Code to provide clearer guidelines for reintroducing such controls, especially in emergencies.
Healthcare Access Under Threat and Revising Jus Soli
The RN also proposes reforming state medical aid (AME), which currently provides free medical care to undocumented immigrants, into “vital emergency aid” reserved for life-threatening conditions. Critics argue this change would violate constitutional guarantees of health protection for all and could lead to public health risks.
In terms of nationality, the RN seeks to alter the jus soli (right of soil) principle, allowing only children born to at least one French parent automatic access to citizenship.
Children of two foreign parents born in France would have to apply for citizenship at 18. This echoes the 1993 Pasqua law, repealed in 1998, which required explicit declarations for nationality acquisition.
Exclusion of Dual Nationals
Adding to the RN’s controversial proposals, candidate Thierry Ferrand suggests excluding dual nationals from certain “sensitive” jobs. This stance reflects a long-standing RN view that dual nationality may compromise allegiance to France.
Bardella previously urged the Constitutional Council to avoid “engaging in politics,” implying a distrust in the judiciary’s impartiality.
The proposal to dismiss dual nationals from sensitive positions could impact about 5% of the judiciary, potentially sidelining around 500 magistrates in a system already strained by resource shortages.
While Marine Le Pen, RN’s leader, later clarified that only about thirty positions in intelligence would be affected, professional justice unions have expressed their readiness to defend the judiciary’s independence and the rule of law against such measures.
In a climate increasingly defined by populist rhetoric and nationalistic fervor, the debate over judicial dual nationality, French identity, serves as a microcosm of broader ideological conflicts shaping contemporary European politics.
The outcome of this election will not only shape the composition of the National Assembly but also determine the extent to which judicial autonomy and constitutional principles are upheld in the face of political scrutiny.
