It would take more than a strawberry diabolo to evoke an agreement which, according to him, sums up the relationship “unbalanced” between France and Algeria. Xavier Driencourt, 70, twice ambassador to Algiers (2008-2012, 2017-2020) until his retirement, has since exchanged his diplomatic costume to become the most virulent critic of an agreement between the two nations: “ the Franco-Algerian agreement of December 27, 1968 relating to the movement, employment and stay in France of Algerian nationals and their families.
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A relic of colonial history, this convention establishes a specific regime – called “derogatory” – for Algerians, certain stipulations of which have no equivalent in common law governed by the code of entry and stay of foreigners and of the right to asylum (Ceseda). In fact, being considered an international treaty, this bilateral agreement has a greater value than French laws. “It gives Algerians a privileged status that other nationalities do not haveinsists Xavier Driencourt. There is an asymmetry, because the French have no advantage in Algeria. At some point we will have to say: “that’s enough guys, you’re very nice, but we’re closing the curtain”. »
Since he took up this cause, the right and the extreme right seem to have discovered a “family secret”a “bomb” and a lever of pressure to bend a State – with which France has experienced four diplomatic crises in four years – deemed uncooperative in matters, in particular, of issuing consular passes to its nationals under an obligation of leave French territory (OQTF).
Edouard Philippe, Eric Ciotti and even Manuel Valls have called for an end to this agreement. In June 2023, then senator from Vendée (LR), Bruno Retailleau, who had since become Minister of the Interior, had, in a bill, asked the French authorities to “denounce” ce “automatic right to immigration”.
“Even Algerians think they are favored”
However, the 1968 agreement “is extremely poorly known to politicians, even though some were in charge of the country”recognizes Xavier Driencourt with a touch of irony. Because according to him, some of them think that this document eight pages “considerably facilitates flow [migratoires] between our two countries »as Marine Le Pen assured.
“Which, in fact, is not the caseestimates lawyer Morade Zouine, lawyer at the immigrant information and support group (Gisti). Like any other foreigner, an Algerian enters France with a visa. We have politicized the issue too much for us to have sufficient discernment to understand the complexity of the issue. We must deconstruct: even the Algerians think that they are favored. »
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