Paris – On Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced his intention to propose a simultaneous reduction of visa issuances by all European nations for countries that refuse to accept their expelled nationals.
During an interview on France 2, Barrot stated, “If a country does not cooperate with French authorities, I will advocate for all European countries to impose restrictions on visa issuances at the same time.” This declaration came just hours before an inter-ministerial meeting focused on immigration control, amid an ongoing diplomatic tension with Algeria.
Barrot emphasized that individual national measures have proven ineffective, saying, “When we take action on a national level, it unfortunately doesn’t yield the desired results.”
On the other hand, he suggested that the European Union should lower customs duties for nations that demonstrate improved cooperation in the repatriation of their nationals, calling this approach “a particularly powerful lever.”
“To achieve maximum effectiveness in our migration policies, many strategies will be far more impactful when implemented at the European level,” the minister stated. (February 26, 2025)
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