Jordan Bardella, president of the National Rally (RN), reaffirmed his party’s commitment to reserving certain positions “strategic» to French citizens only. “We do not intend to call into question dual nationality […]. On the other hand, we actually intend to reserve a certain number of strategic jobs in sectors particularly linked to security and defense exclusively for French citizens (sic)», he declared during the presentation of his program, this Monday, June 24. Bardella exposed this ban on access to “sensitive jobs» for dual nationals as a precautionary measure to protect against foreign interference. However, in fact, this is a discriminatory bill, contrary to the French Constitution.
Binationals in the viewfinder
Indeed, it aims to “prohibit access to jobs in the administration, public companies, and legal entities responsible for a public service mission to people who have the nationality of another State“. The sectors affected include various fields such as social, health, private education, but also services including municipal waste management and large national companies such as La Poste, EDF and SNCF. Thus, Franco-Moroccans working in these sectors could see their jobs threatened.
To date, dual nationality does not exclude access to public service jobs. Certain professions, called “of sovereignty», linked to the sovereign functions of the State, are reserved for French people, whether or not they hold a second nationality. Gwénaële Calvès, professor of public law at CY Cergy Paris University (Val-d’Oise), specifies to AFP that “today, all French people are exclusively French. You can have one, two or three other nationalities, that does not concern French law“. The AFP adds by declaring that “ the classification of a position as a sovereign job is left to the discretion of the employer, often a ministry».
Removal of land rights
Jordan Bardella reiterated his intention to remove the right from the floor. This right allows a young person born in France to foreign parents to acquire French nationality upon reaching the age of majority, provided they have resided in the country for at least five years, continuous or discontinuous, since the age of eleven.
«The automatic acquisition of French nationality is no longer justified in a world of eight billion individuals, and while daily proof of our inability to integrate and assimilate is increasing on our soil.“, argued the RN candidate. This position had already been supported by Marine Le Pen who declared last April to BFMTV: “French nationality should be inherited or earned.»
Thus, if this reform is adopted, a child born to foreign parents will no longer be able to obtain French nationality as easily, whatever the situation of their parents. He will then have to apply for a residence permit and possibly naturalization later. This risks compromising the integration of these children into French society.
Replace the AME with an emergency fund
«We must stop with AME (state medical aid), illegal stay must once again be a crime», argued Marine Le Pen in November 2023. Indeed, in addition to the abolition of land law, the RN wishes to reestablish the offense of illegal residence, a measure previously censored by the Constitutional Council for its lack of link with the initial text of immigration law. The RN program also plans to increase the resources required for family reunification and to replace State Medical Aid (AME) with an emergency fund covering only vital emergencies.
Jordan Bardella argued that repealing the AME would save 1.6 billion euros, denouncing free care for illegal foreigners. However, this assertion is disputed. The AME offers access to basic care to foreigners who have been in an irregular situation in France for at least three months, with resources of less than 810 euros per month. Contrary to what the RN asserts, the care covered by the AME is limited, with costs payable for dental and optical care.
The removal of this aid would not only harm the people concerned, but could also encourage the circulation of certain pathologies among the general population. A report by Claude Evin and Patrick Stefanini warns of the negative effects of transforming AME into emergency aid, specifying that this could weigh on public health and the resilience of the hospital system. By limiting access to prevention and early diagnosis, this measure could generate additional costs linked to the increase in urgent and vital care.
