Bruno Retailleau announces that the government will “touch” state medical aid

The Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, assured Sunday January 19 that the Bayrou government would ” to touch “ State medical aid (AME), a system allowing foreign nationals without a regular residence permit in France to seek treatment. “We’ll touch it”affirmed the minister, taking a firm line on migration issues. “It’s a subject of the PLFSS [projet de loi de financement de la Sécurité sociale] »he added.

Mr. Retailleau requests that the conclusions of the Evin-Stefanini report, submitted at the end of 2023 before the dissolution, be taken up, which according to him had judged that the AME was a “encouragement of clandestinity”. In this document, former minister Claude Evin (Socialist Party) and prefect Patrick Stefanini, figure of the Les Républicains party, advocated in particular an adjustment of the basket of care accessible with the AME. They also underlined the role of the system in preventing the deterioration of the health of illegal migrants, as well as the spread of diseases to the entire population.

The right and the extreme right are calling for a reduction in the scope of care eligible for AME, or even its complete disappearance. The system is, however, defended by the left and part of the centrist bloc.

In December 2024, as part of the review of the state budget, the Senate approved, with the support of the government, a reduction of 200 million euros in the budget allocated to the AME out of a total of 1 .3 billion, an increase of more than 9% compared to 2024.

The AME allows the care of people in an irregular situation residing in France for more than three months, whose resources are low and do not qualify for coverage under the common law system.

More broadly on migration policy, Bruno Retailleau once again reiterated ” to wish “ the abolition of land rights in Mayotte even if he agreed that as it stands the political conditions were not met.

Debate on land rights in mainland France

Same observation for a debate on land rights in mainland France. “There must be, not automaticity, but it must come from a voluntary act”declared the minister who thus wants to return to the provisions of the law put in place by former minister Charles Pasqua (Rally for the Republic) in 1993, before being abolished under the socialist government of Lionel Jospin.

The Pasqua law made obtaining French nationality, for a minor born in France to foreign parents with a residence permit, upon reaching the age of 18, subject to a prior declaration.