A report presented on Wednesday by the French Senate suggests considering the denunciation of the 1968 France-Algeria migration cooperation agreement, amid growing tensions between France and Algeria.
This report concludes a fact-finding mission launched in the spring of 2024, which aimed to examine international migration agreements. Among the most sensitive proposals is one specifically addressing migration cooperation between France and Algeria. It recommends that the government initiate a new round of negotiations with Algiers to rebalance the conditions of admission and movement outlined in the 1968 agreement. If these negotiations fail, the report suggests « terminating the application of the agreement. »
In a tense diplomatic context, this suggestion has provoked strong reactions. Olivier Bitz, a senator from the centrist Horizons party and co-rapporteur of the report, stated: « We need to move beyond the status quo. The complex history between our two countries cannot justify favoring immigration from Algeria. » Muriel Jourda, a senator from the Les Républicains (LR) party and also co-author of the report, added that the current agreement favored a « disproportionate » and « unfavorable » relationship for France.
The report was adopted by the Law Committee, supported by the right-wing and a large portion of the centrist majority in the Senate.
The 1968 agreement, signed on December 27, granted Algerian nationals privileged status regarding residency, movement, and employment in France. It facilitated their entry and provided for the accelerated issuance of long-term residence permits.
Muriel Jourda believes that « when concessions are made, one expects a balanced relationship, » emphasizing that the current situation is « very unfavorable to France. »
This Senate proposal aligns with the position of Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who recently expressed his desire to revisit the agreement, calling it « obsolete. »
Relations between France and Algeria, already strained, have been further exacerbated by remarks made by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in an interview with the French newspaper *L’Opinion* regarding French political figures.
Additionally, the Senate report proposes, at the initiative of Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, the termination of the December 16, 2013 agreement, which allows certain members of the Algerian ruling class to travel to France without a visa.