French President Emmanuel Macron has urged his government to tighten visa rules for Algerian diplomats amid a growing dispute over the deportation of Algerian nationals.
In a letter to Prime Minister François Bayrou, a copy obtained by Reuters, Macron argued that France’s migration and security challenges with Algeria require a tougher approach toward the former colony.
Macron asked Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot to formally inform Algeria that the 2013 arrangement exempting diplomatic and official passport holders from visa requirements would be suspended.
He also called on the interior minister to ask Schengen partners to assist in implementing the stricter visa policy. Specifically, he said they should coordinate with France on issuing short-stay visas for the Algerian officials affected by the 2013 exemption, and for the passports covered by that agreement.
“France must be strong and command respect. It can only receive this from its partners if it shows them the respect it demands from them. This basic rule also applies to Algeria,” Macron said.
Tensions between Paris and Algiers have worsened since France’s July 2024 recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, a stance Rabat seeks to have recognized internationally. The rift deepened after Algeria detained French-Algerian author Boualem Sansal in November, and intensified in February when an Algerian citizen, previously subject to repatriation attempts, was arrested as a suspect in a knife attack in Mulhouse that killed one person and injured three.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has repeatedly pushed for reviewing Franco-Algerian migration and visa arrangements following Algeria’s refusal to take back its nationals ordered to leave France under the OQTF (obligation to leave French territory) regime.
