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Join on Telegram Doha – A French Senate report presented on Wednesday has recommended opening the path to terminate the 1968 Franco-Algerian migration cooperation agreement.
In light of recent developments in Algerian-French relations, the recommendation comes across as a punitive measure in response to Algeria’s provocative actions that have severely deteriorated diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The report, which concludes an information mission launched in spring 2024, calls on the government to “initiate a new round of negotiations with Algeria to rebalance the special regime for residence permits and circulation provided by the December 27, 1968 agreement.”
The Senate mission also recommended, like Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, to “end the application of the December 16, 2013 agreement” which allows Algerian officials to travel to France without visas.
Senator Olivier Bitz from the center-right Horizons party, who co-authored the report with LR Senator Muriel Jourda, stated: “We must move beyond the status quo. The rich and painful history between our two countries cannot justify favoring immigration from Algeria.”
His co-author Jourda added, “When we do favors, we could expect at least a balanced relationship. Yet the relationship today is unbalanced, very unfavorable to France.”
The proposal has met strong opposition from the left. Socialist representative Corinne Narassiguin dissociated herself from the report she was initially supposed to co-write. “Considering the termination of this agreement is a provocation that serves neither of our countries,” she declared. “It sends a very bad signal to all Algerians and French-Algerians present in our territory.”
She further criticized the mission as “nothing but a tool created from scratch to validate Bruno Retailleau’s campaign,” noting that “expert hearings conducted over many months did not clearly and unanimously demonstrate the need to denounce this agreement.”
Despite this opposition, the report was adopted in the Law Commission with support from the right and most centrists, who form the majority alliance in the upper house.
The proposal aligns with Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau’s recent aggressive stance toward the Algerian government. Retailleau has expressed his desire to “put back on the table” this agreement, which he considers “dated” and believes has “distorted immigration.”
The timing is particularly sensitive, coming amid escalating tensions following the arrest of Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal in mid-November and Algeria’s recent return of an Algerian influencer who had been expelled from France.
These tensions can be traced back to France’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara in July, which angered Algeria and its proxy the separatist Polisario Front.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune recently acknowledged in an interview with “L’Opinion” that dialogue between the two countries was “almost interrupted,” denouncing the “deleterious climate” in bilateral relations.
What is this agreement?
Signed on December 27, 1968, the bilateral agreement was originally negotiated by Abdelaziz Bouteflika, then Algeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and future president (1999-2019).
While it appears liberal by today’s standards, it was actually intended to be more restrictive than the previous arrangements.
The agreement replaced the more permissive 1962 Evian Peace Accords, which had allowed free circulation between the two countries for any Algerian with an identity card.
The 1968 agreement initially limited immigration to 35,000 Algerians annually, who could enter France without requiring a long-stay visa.
Under its original terms, Algerian nationals could obtain a five-year residence card (CRA) with proof of employment, and after three years of residence in France, they could qualify for a ten-year CRA.
The agreement also facilitated family reunification after twelve months of residence in France, including provisions for spouses, children, ancestors, and even adopted children (kafala).
The agreement has undergone three revisions – in 1985, 1994, and 2001 – which have gradually modified its original provisions.
The quota system was replaced with a visa system, and residence permit durations were adjusted.
New requirements were introduced, such as proof of accommodation and financial resources for family visits.
Today, while some advantages remain for Algerian nationals – such as obtaining a ten-year residence permit after one year of marriage to a French citizen and the ability to register for business without proving business viability – the agreement has lost much of its original scope.
Notably, Algerian citizens have not benefited from recent immigration reforms, including talent passports or work-based regularization for shortage occupations.
Algerian students face particular challenges in obtaining student employment or transitioning to work after graduation.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune himself recently described the agreement as a “hollow shell” in the interview with “L’Opinion.”
The debate has become increasingly politicized, with figures across the French political spectrum, including Gabriel Attal (Renaissance), Édouard Philippe (Horizons), Bruno Retailleau (Les Républicains), and Marine Le Pen (Rassemblement National), calling for its revision or termination.
Jean-Yves Camus, director of the Observatory of Political Radicalities at the Jean-Jaurès Foundation, notes that while the extreme right has long advocated for reconsidering relations with Algeria, the issue has now gained broader political support, extending to center-right parties and even the ruling Renaissance party.
However, as experts point out, any modification to the agreement ultimately requires action from President Emmanuel Macron, who has remained silent on the matter thus far.
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