French Senate report urges end to 1968 deal facilitating residence of Algerians

A French Senate report denounced and urged an end to the 1968 accords with Algeria which facilitate the travel, employment, and residence of Algerians in France, against the backdrop of worsening tensions between Paris and Algiers.

The report, which was elaborated as part of a review of French migratory policies, said France should either review the deal or halt its implementation.

“We must move beyond the status quo. The rich and painful history between our two countries cannot justify favoring immigration of Algerian origin,” stated Olivier Bitz, a senator from the center-right Horizons party and co-rapporteur who contributed to the report.

The pro-Algerian French left rejected the proposal as detrimental to French-Algerian ties.

“When we grant favors, one might expect a somewhat balanced relationship. However, the relationship is currently unbalanced and very unfavorable to France,” stated Senator Muriel Jourda, co-author of the report.

Algeria has irked Paris when it rejected its own nationals unwanted on French territory.

Relations also worsened after Algeria attempted to retaliate following a French sovereign decision to back Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara territory.

Algiers added insult to injury by jailing dual-national novelist Boualem Sansal after he gave an interview mentioning the colonial nature of Algeria’s border. The Algerian Presidency ignored calls for his release by the French political class, including President Macron.

French politicians, including the Interior minister, said Algeria has crossed the redline and doubled down on disrespecting France, vowing to take measures including a review of the preferential entry treatment of the Algerian nomenklatura.