Edouard Philippe straightens his speech. In an interview with L’Express published Monday, June 5, the former Prime Minister advocates the questioning of a 1968 agreement with Algeria on migration issues, and distills several positions against “immigration due to done,” as the subject agitates the majority and the right.
This agreement organizes the entry, stay and employment of Algerians in France, according to rules derogating from common law. On certain points, Algerians are favored compared to other foreigners (especially in terms of family reunification), on others they are losers (especially for students).
This text “completely determines the law applicable to the entry and stay of Algerian nationals, with stipulations that are much more favorable than common law. This is a very distinct feature. No national of another state enjoys such benefits,” said the former prime minister.
“Of course, there are extremely powerful historical relations between France and Algeria, but maintaining such a system today with a country with which we have complicated relations no longer seems justified to me”, continues Edouard Philip.
“Three Unsaid”
In this interview, the president of Horizons mentions “a very strong acceleration in the increase in the number of foreigners” since the beginning of the 2000s. And “the geographical origin of foreigners has also changed”, with a greater large proportion of foreigners from North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.
“During this period, the French population increased by 9% and the number of foreigners increased by 53%. And nothing in this evolution corresponds to a political choice or to a decision that we would have taken, ”continues the mayor of Le Havre.
Mr. Philippe attacks “three things left unsaid” in terms of immigration: “First, we say that we want fewer foreigners in France, but when a certain number of our fellow citizens say so, they aim actually people who are French, sometimes for three generations. It is not the control of the entry of foreigners into France that will solve this problem. It is a subject of integration, education, civic-mindedness. “The second unsaid concerns Islam”, which has become “a central subject, a disturbing subject, a haunting subject”, he assures.
“Finally, there is the unsaid of work. Many French people find that there are too many foreigners in France, but in Parisian restaurants, in the tourist industry, in the agricultural sector, in a whole series of economic sectors which are not in crisis and which are essential to the French success, we rely on a quite impressive number of foreigners, ”explains Mr. Philippe.
“Necessary Law”
The former prime minister says he is “very supportive of the proposals made by Gérald Darmanin and Olivier Dussopt”, while the executive is looking for ways to a parliamentary majority with Les Républicains (LR) on the immigration side. “This law is necessary, but I know it’s not enough,” he said nonetheless.
He says he is “opposed to any massive regularization and favorable to the principle proposed by Olivier Dussopt: to allow people exercising professional activities in sectors where the national interest demands to be able to continue to do so. I would prefer that this regularization be done on a case-by-case basis.”
Mr. Philippe says he understands “the objective pursued by LR”, which wants to modify the Constitution in order to be able to derogate from European and international law, but “this proposal is not satisfactory in its terms. It would be interpreted for what it is, which is a form of legal Frexit.”
