France toughens the granting of visas to Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia

Towards an escalation of sanctions between France and three Maghreb countries? This Tuesday, Paris decided to tighten the conditions for obtaining visas with regard to Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. “It is a drastic decision, it is an unprecedented decision, but it is a decision made necessary by the fact that these countries do not accept to take back nationals that we do not want and cannot keep in France” , explained the government spokesman Gabriel Attal on Europe 1, confirming information from the radio.

The attitude of these countries “slows down the effectiveness of effective escapes” at the border once the obligations to leave French territory (OQTF) have been issued, he lamented. “There was a dialogue, then there were threats; today we are putting this threat into action, ”he explained.

France expects more cooperation

Underlining the visits on this subject in these three countries of Prime Minister Jean Castex and members of the government, including the Minister of the Interior, as well as the meetings with the ambassadors of the countries concerned, he estimated that “at a time when things are not moving, we are enforcing the rules ”.

Asked about the duration of application of this measure, temporary or permanent, the spokesperson for the French government indicated that it had been “decided a few weeks ago” and “will be implemented” to “push the countries concerned to change policy and agree to issue these consular passes ”. “We would like the reaction to be more cooperation with France so that we can enforce our migration rules,” insisted Gabriel Attal.

Reacting to this announcement on France Inter, the interim president of the National Gathering, Jordan Bardella affirmed that “we will judge the result”, deploring that Emmanuel Macron did not succeed, as promised according to him in the campaign in 2017 to “100 % of execution of OQTF (order to leave French territory, editor’s note) ”. The RN candidate Marine Le Pen is due to present her draft referendum on immigration on Tuesday afternoon.