Following the adoption of the bill by the Senate with 214 votes in favour, on Tuesday the French National Assembly passed a new immigration law restricting fundamental rights to foreigners, with 348 votes in favour (macronists, LR conservatives and ultraderecha RN). The agreement has once again brought about the political crisis in the Emmanuel Macron government, with the absolute support of the ultra-right countries for the text. As a result, Health Minister Aurélien Rousseau has already resigned.

Macron points out that the bill should not be adopted with the support of Marie Le Pen’s right-wing votes. I proposed opening a second parliamentary debate, but that has not been the case and Le Pen and the others have joined in the statement.

Strict measures

The decisions taken by the Joint Commission include the following measures, which are stricter than those contained in the initial draft law: the prefect shall have the right to distribute residence permits to foreigners, and those convicted of a crime shall not be able to obtain such a permit; the minimum period for migrants to have access to social assistance shall be extended and the conditions for obtaining family benefits shall be tightened, for example, foreigners shall prove five years of residence in France. On the other hand, it is agreed to set immigration quotas and to re-establish, inter alia, the “crime of irregular stay”.

Agreement of the European Union

The European Union has also concluded an agreement on migration and asylum on Wednesday after a long process of debate. This reform provides for the following measures: strengthening control of migrants arriving in the EU; closing centres close to borders to speed up the return of those who do not have the right to asylum in the EU; and implementing a compulsory solidarity mechanism between Member States for the benefit of States under migratory pressure.