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A senior French diplomat has said that France’s plan to cut the number of visas for Algerian nationals may not work if the EU does not back this measure.
Such a statement from the diplomat comes amid diplomatic tension between France and Algeria, which has pushed the French Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, to consider tightening the visa rules, Schengen.News reports.
Minister Retailleau threatened last week to cut back on the number of Schengen visas granted to Algerians. The minister said that tightened visa rules should be applied to Algeria until the North African country agrees to take back its nationals who have received deportation orders.
In addition, the minister also noted that he also plans to review the agreement that facilitates access to French Schengen visas for Algerians.
However, as Euractiv explains, this may not be possible without the EU backing. The senior French diplomat said for Euractiv that there is a catch and that this “visa war” risks failing unless the EU decides as a whole to limit the number of visas granted to Algerians.
The senior further highlighted that this plan “all plays in Brussels”, suggesting that there is not much France can do on its own.
On the other hand, Minister Retailleau has said that France needs to consider all measures at its disposal to get the relationship between the two countries back on track without excluding these strict visa rules.
France Said It Also Wants to Suspend Visa-Free Travel for Algerian Diplomatic Passport Holders
In addition to wanting to limit visas for Algerian nationals, France said it also wants to take measures against diplomatic passport holders of Algeria.
Amid the worsening tension, the Minister of Justice of France, Gérald Darmanin, said a couple of weeks ago that he wants to suspend visa-free travel to the country for Algerian diplomatic passport holders.
Minister Darmanin called for a review of the agreement reached between the two countries and said that diplomats should no longer enjoy such privileges.
The statement of Minister Darmanin came after Algeria refused to take in its national who was deported by the French authorities for inciting violence through a Tiktok video.
France deported the Algerian national on January 9. Nonetheless, he was sent back to France on the same day.
This was highly condemned by France, with Minister Darmanin saying that this action of Algeria had been humiliating. The same said that the two countries must have mutual respect.
Source: https://schengen.news/frances-plan-to-reduce-visas-for-algerians-may-not-work-without-eus-support-diplomat-says/
