Diplomatic crisis with Algeria: three questions on the 1968 agreement, called into question by part of the right and the far right

The crisis between France and Algeria was invited to the Agricultural Show on Monday, February 24. During his visit, the Prime Minister considered it "unacceptable" that Algeria had refused "ten times" to take back the Mulhouse attacker . The suspect in the knife attack, which left one dead and five injured in Mulhouse on Saturday , was born in Algeria and was subject to an OQTF (obligation to leave the territory). But Algeria refused "ten times to take him back to its territory", the Minister of the Interior specified this weekend. Since then, several political leaders have called on France to denounce the 1968 agreement between Paris and Algiers, which organizes the entry, stay and employment of Algerians in France.

1 What is the 1968 agreement?

This agreement, relatively unknown in France, was signed in December 1968, six years after the end of the Algerian War and the Evian Accords. Initiated under the presidency of General De Gaulle, the agreement facilitates the settlement of Algerian workers in France, up to 35,000 per year, as well as their families and grants them a special status. Algerians are thus subject to a specific regime in France, unlike nationals of other countries in the world. For example, their entry into French territory is facilitated, they have faster access to residence permits valid for 10 years and they benefit from freedom of establishment to exercise a commercial activity or an independent profession.

The 1968 agreement was revised three times, in 1985, 1994 and 2001, but its main principles and the exceptions to common law were maintained. Furthermore, since this agreement is an international treaty, it has a higher value than national laws, as provided for in the Constitution. Under this agreement, Algerians living in France are therefore not subject to the latest laws passed on immigration.

2 What is the government's position on the 1968 agreement?

In the aisles of the Salon de l'agriculture on Monday, François Bayrou protested against Algeria's "unacceptable" refusals to take back the Mulhouse attacker, an Algerian who is under obligation to leave French territory. "We are going to have meetings in the coming days to ask this question: France, French justice, the defense of our safety, this requires the strong affirmation that we cannot accept the situation that has been created," declared the Prime Minister.

A cabinet meeting on immigration will take place on Wednesday. It was planned before the attack in Mulhouse, but measures targeting Algeria will be discussed there. Bruno Retailleau, the Minister of the Interior, wants, for example, the 1968 agreement between France and Algeria to be repealed. This element will be on the table, the government spokesperson affirmed on Monday.

3 What does the opposition say about it?

Also at the Salon de l'agriculture, at the same time as François Bayrou on Monday, Jordan Bardella, the president of the National Rally, called on the government to step up its game: "We must dare to engage in diplomatic arm wrestling. And now, if the government is consistent, we must ensure that no more visas are issued to an Algerian national as long as Algeria refuses to take back these undesirables and its foreign nationals, particularly illegal immigrants."

The questioning of the 1968 agreement, as demanded by a part of the right and the extreme right, is on the contrary considered a very bad idea by the left, which denounces an instrumentalization of this agreement. "We will not resolve anything with incendiary statements on television sets", believes the communist senator, Ian Brossat. All against a backdrop of lies, he hammers home: "We are made to believe that the 1968 agreements would have generated a massive migration of Algerians towards France and, the reality, it is not at all that. For example, the share of Algerians in immigration in France is roughly similar to that of Moroccans."

Furthermore, denouncing the 1968 agreement will not resolve the problem of OQTFs, believes PS MP Arthur Delaporte: "It is not because we denounce the agreement that we will resolve this problem of refusal of OQTFs. So, in fact, we must not make the agreement the cause of something that is first and foremost linked to a problem of diplomatic relations." The socialist advocates for a reestablishment of more cordial diplomatic relations. "This also requires a change on your Algerian side," asserts Arthur Delaporte.