Faced with the refusal of Algeria to take up around sixty Algerians who appear in a list that France has drawn up and that it wants to expel, the Minister of the Interior hardens the tone.

Posted on 03/18/2025 08:02 Updated on 03/18/2025 08:02

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“From now on, you have to accept a balance of power. The balance of power is the visas, the balance of power is the 1968 agreement. Because we were, if I dare say, pretty nice“, Declared Bruno Retailleau at the end of February. Three weeks after this statement on Monday, March 17, the Minister of the Interior triggers what he calls one”Graduated response“, because France has submitted a list of expensive Algerians, but Algeria refuses to take them back.

In this list, one is “sixty names“Algerian nationals condemned in France and that Paris absolutely wants to return to the other side of the Mediterranean.”Profiles of the disturbance of public order, leaving prison or with dangerous profiles“Said the Interior Ministry, without”make this public list“In order not to make special cases. Paris had left Algiers for several weeks to deliver consular pass. After three days Algiers called” no “to the entire list, denouncing a”ultimatum“From Paris.

A list that had the value of test for the French government: is Algerian power ready to resume its nationals as provided in the Franco-Algerian agreements? It was the issue set by Francois Bayrou three weeks ago. “”Imagine the situation if it were reversed, if Algeria wanted to send off delinquents, power assassins, and if we said no. What would the Algerian authorities say?“Then said the Prime Minister. The refusal of Algiers therefore led to an immediate response from Bruno Retailleau on Monday, March 17 in the evening:”The Algerians do not comply with our agreement of 94. We will trigger the graduated response, as the inter -ministerial committee decided“.

The government can activate several levers one after the other. The first it will be to make visas compulsory for diplomatic passport holders. Other measures may follow and touch all Algerians, had warned François Bayrou citing “special advantages“Like facilities for common life or marriages in France, or to reach social benefits. And”At the end of the path, if there was no response from Algiers, the denunciation of the agreements would be the only possible outcome“Added the head of government three weeks ago.

But in the process, Emmanuel Macron corrected his Prime Minister. It is, in fact, the President of the Republic who has the hand on the treaties. “”We are not going to denounce them unilaterally, it makes no sense“, Tache Emmanuel Macron at the end of February, claiming rather one”discussion“With Algiers.”It is not necessary that (relations) are the subject of political games“, Added the French president, message to his Algerian counterpart and possibly also to his Minister of the Interior. Bruno Retailleau is the only one to have reacted officially on Monday evening. He who made the Algerian case a symbol of his line of firmness in Beauvau, even going so far as to put his resignation in the balance if he could not afford.