Lawmakers at the French National Assembly narrowly passed a resolution on Thursday denouncing the 1968 Franco-Algerian agreement, a move spearheaded by the far-right Rassemblement National (RN).
The resolution, adopted by 185 votes in favor and 184 against, marks a historic first for the RN, whose proposals had previously faced consistent rejection in the chamber.
The resolution, introduced by RN deputy Guillaume Bigot, calls for the end of preferential immigration and residency provisions granted to Algerian nationals under the bilateral accord.
“French Algeria is over,” Bigot declared during the debate. “Sixty-three years after independence, it is time to treat Algeria like any other country, no more, no less, and without exceptions.”
Signed six years after the end of the Algerian War, the 1968 agreement facilitated Algerian migration to France, granting expedited access to 10-year residency permits, social benefits and favorable terms for family reunification.
A recent parliamentary report presented by deputies Charles Rodwell and Mathieu Lefèvre from the Ensemble pour la République group estimates the annual cost of the agreement to French public finances at approximately €2 billion.
The report highlights the lack of reciprocity from Algeria, particularly in pension payments, and calls the arrangement a “legal anomaly” that undermines the principle of equal treatment among foreign nationals.
The resolution’s passage was made possible by support from the conservative Les Républicains and Horizons parties. Laurent Wauquiez, leader of Les Républicains, justified the vote, stating, “It’s not against Algerians, but against the Algerian government that France must make itself heard.
Marine Le Pen, RN’s parliamentary leader, hailed the vote as “a historic day” for her party. It is the third time since 2023 that RN has controlled the Assembly’s agenda through its parliamentary “niche,” allowing it to present texts with broader appeal.
Left-wing parties condemned the resolution as xenophobic and colonialist in tone.