French President Emmanuel Macron defended the spirit of France’s controversial new immigration law in a French television interview the day after it received the National Assembly’s greenlight, asserting that it will help counter the far-right’s rise and complement EU measures.
During an interview on France 5 at the Elysée Palace Wednesday evening, Macron said that he “accepted” and considered “useful” the immigration law passed by parliament the previous day.
“There is more migratory pressure on our country today than there was 10 years ago”, he stressed, acknowledging a “problem of illegal immigration in France” but noting that “we’re not overwhelmed by immigration” and adding that he had never used the word “overwhelmed”.
The text, which aims to “control immigration and improve integration”, is the result of a “compromise”, he added.
However, specific issues, such as restricting the right to legal residence, tightening the conditions for family reunification and introducing immigration quotas for France, have divided the factions that form the presidential majority in parliament.
Opposition also came from within the government, with Health Minister Aurélien Rousseau tendering his resignation on Wednesday, while Transport Minister Clément Beaune and Education Minister Sylvie Retailleau both voiced their disagreement.
“That it offends certain parliamentarians and ministers, that’s legitimate”, Macron added.
In an interview with Le Monde, former French president François Hollande chimed in, saying that Macron and the government had “taken [the] ideas” of Marine Le Pen’s far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party.
This kind of criticism is now being taken up in left-wing circles even outside France, especially after Spanish far-right Vox leader Santiago Abascal said on Wednesday that Macron “looks like him”.
“If we don’t want the RN to come to power, we have to deal with the problems that feed it”, said Macron, adding that the new law will make it possible to “fight against” the far-right.
However, the French head of state is not entirely satisfied with the compromise reached in parliament and has referred the bill to the Constitutional Council for review.
In his view, certain provisions “do not comply with our Constitution”, including introducing a deposit for foreign students from outside the EU, which would be returned to them once they have returned home. “I don’t think it’s a good idea”, he admitted.
Macron also noted that the new law should be seen as part of a European package, “complementing decisions taken in Europe”.
“This law is the shield we’ve been missing”, he added.
On the same day in Brussels, the EU adopted the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, which provides for a stricter asylum policy at borders and establishes solidarity between member states to help EU countries most exposed to migratory flows.
“I still have three and a half years ahead of me. I don’t intend to stop there”, Macron concluded.
(Hugo Struna | Euractiv.fr)
Read more with Euractiv
Romanian MEPs challenge Schengen blockade, point to new EU migration dealTwo Romanian MEPs argue that with EU institutions adopting a political agreement, which for the first time lays down a harmonised approach to migration management for the bloc, Austria no longer has any valid grounds to oppose their country’s bid to join the Schengen area.
Source: euractiv.com
