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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Jordan King

Emmanuel Macron to make TV address after France passes tough new migration law

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to make a TV address on Wednesday after controversial new migration laws were passed.

Late on Tuesday night, French lawmakers gave their final approval to a contested bill that toughens rules for immigrants, giving Mr Macron a policy victory that nonetheless exposed cracks in his centrist majority.

The tougher rules, which illustrate the rightward shift in politics in much of Europe, have caused unease among some of Mr Macron's more left-leaning lawmakers, with French media speculating about ministers threatening to resign.

The legislation reduces the number of migrants coming to France, notably by limiting foreigners' access to social benefits, according to Conservative politician Eric Ciotti, president of The Republicans party.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told parliament that the bill "will make our system more efficient because it will drastically simplify our procedures for processing asylum applications, (and) because it will make it possible to expel criminal or radicalised foreigners more quickly".

Far-right politician Marine Le Pen described the move as an "ideological victory" because it includes measures promoted by her party.

It's a "very small step, much remains to be done," she said. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who championed the Bill, praised "an important text which will protect the French" but also allows 7,000 to 10,000 undocumented migrant workers a year to get residency permits and fill jobs in sectors that have difficulty hiring.

"We will at last be able to expel foreign offenders of our territory but also integrate all those who work in our restaurants, in the agriculture sector," he added.

Activists have dubbed the Bill as a threat to the rights of migrants. (AP)

Mr Macron's centrist government does not have a majority in parliament, and opposition lawmakers last week rejected the Bill without debating it in the lower house, the National Assembly. In turn, the government sought a compromise with Republican MPs, who pushed for a hard-line approach.

Many saw the negotiations as a sign of a shift to the right by Mr Macron's government.

A commission composed of seven senators and seven politicians from the National Assembly formally approved the revised legislation - it requires approval from both houses of parliament.

Activists have criticised the Bill as a threat to the rights of migrants.

Amnesty International France said on X, formerly Twitter, that "all conditions are met for a law that is more detrimental than ever to the rights of people living in exile".

A statement signed by more than 40 French groups that advocate for migrants' rights urged politicians to reject the Bill, which they said "flouts fundamental rights".

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