France: New government wants to reform the law that gives free medical assistance for immigrants after three months

France’s newly appointed interior minister Bruno Retailleau signalled a rightward shift for French interior policy on Monday at his first public speech in office. Addressing police unions at the Cour de l’Hôtel de Beauvau, he vowed to end “illegal” migration and “restore order” in the country.

Concerning immigration, the senior senator with The Republicans (Les Républicains) party called for a much tougher policy in an interview on national TV, proposing to regularize as few people as possible while deporting as many as possible. He also urged legislative changes, such as a reform to the law that gives free medical assistance for immigrants after three months in the country, aiming to replace it with a much-reduced protection regime. Beyond this, he is targeting the “Circulaire Valls,” a law instated in 2012 under former President François Hollande which ended the criminal offense of illegal residence, preventing law enforcement from taking individuals in an irregular situation into custody. This would be contrary to decisions by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on the Return directive and subsequent Cassation Court decisions.

Another proposed change consists of revoking a 1968 bilateral agreement with Algeria, signed in the context of decolonization, which grants special status and benefits for Algerian immigrants to France. However, the fact that the agreement is governed by international law, not French law, might make it more difficult to make it void. A cancellation would immediately affect Algerians and their rights in France. Moreover, Retailleau called for bilateral agreements with Maghreb countries to better retain migrants outside of Europe, following the examples of Italy’s agreement with Albania and the agreement between the EU and Tunisia.

Retailleau is a senior politician with plenty of experience who was first elected to the National Assembly in 1994, represented the Vendée department for the past 20 years and finally served as president of the LR senatorial group since 2014. He is part of France’s recently elected government following a snap general election in response to President Macron’s loss of support in public polls.