Paris: The French Minister of Justice, Gerald Darmanin intends to nullify an intergovernmental agreement between France and Algeria that allows Algerian nationals with diplomatic passports to travel France without a visa. The announcement was made in the context of deteriorating relations between the two countries.
The growing diplomatic tension has been marked by controversial arrests on both sides of the Mediterranean. France condemned the arrest of the Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal in Algiers. On the other hand, what irked the Algerians was the arrest and expulsion of social media influencer ‘Doualemn’. He was deported from France last week. However France’s attempt at expelling him was thwarted by Algerian officials who sent him right back to France deeming that the deportation was arbitrary and abusive.
Known for his frankness, Darmanin himself describes his wish regarding visas as a “retaliatory measure againstmost Algerian leaders who have the decision-making position of humiliation.” “There is a 2013 agreement which is a government agreement which allows those who have an official passport, an Algerian diplomatic passport, there are thousands of them, to come to France without a visa to be able to move around freely", he specified this week on French news channel, LCI.
This accord is a reciprocal exemption from short-stay visas for business or private travel for holders of diplomatic or service passports. The length of stay is nevertheless limited to 90 days within an 180-day period the Schengen area. French nationals with diplomatic passports can also travel to Algeria without a visa.
According to Darmanin, adopting an amendment to this accord “can be done very quickly.” He also insisted that he was only targeting an Algerian nomenklatura of which “thousands” of members would have official passports. And not the 10% of French compatriots “who have ties of blood, soil, culture, including the pieds-noirs.” (the French who lived in Algeria when it was France’s colony)
Former French Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal had already criticized this agreement of 1968 which gave Algerians special status in terms of movement, residence and employment in France. This agreement, “we can denounce it, revise it, it has been revised four times, it has also become a little obsolete,” added Gérald Darmanin.
For instance this accord allows Algerian nationals to access the issuance of a 10-year residence permit more quickly; they can obtain a 10-year residence certificate after 3 years of residence, compared to 5 years under ordinary law. The agreement also facilitates family reunification, a system allowing a foreign national to bring his family (spouse, minor children) after 12 months of presence on French soil. Since 1968, the agreement has been revised and the revisions have gradually restricted its scope.
Franco-Algerian relations have always been tumultuous owing to their colonial past. The recent spate of frictions between France and its former colony began last October when French President Emmanuel Macron supported Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. This was denounced by Algiers. Relations between the two countries were further strained when the Goncourt Prize was awarded to Kamel Daoud for his novel Houris.
A novel that was banned in Algeria. In November, Boualem Sansal, a 75-year-old Franco-Algerian writer who is highly critical of the Algerian regime, was arrested in Algiers for undermining state security. His arrest sparked outrage in France, right up to the highest levels of government. Even Macron called for his immediate release.
Since the beginning of the year, another controversy has deepened the chasm in Franco-Algerian relations. Six Algerian influencers including Doualemn are the subject of proceedings in France for their horrific and hateful remarks.