France considering immigration quotas

France is considering introducing immigration quotas, with President Emmanuel Macron having recently labelled the country’s immigration laws as being “insufficient.”

In an interview published on Sunday in the Journal du Dimanche, the country’s Interior Minister, Christophe Castaner, ruled out introducing limits on refugees but admitted they could be used for other forms of immigration.

“In respect of asylum, quotas are contrary to our international commitments and my personal ethics,” he said. “Any request for asylum must be considered, which does not mean accepted. But the question of quotas for other forms of legal immigration may be posed.”

He did not specify what type of immigration categories could be subject to immigration quotas but indicated that the overall number of people allowed to immigrate to France could be examined.

Castaner also called for debate to focus not only on the number of immigrants, but also on “the quality of integration, which is a priority.”

The interview came just a few days after President Macron had voiced his displeasure with France’s current immigration system. Speaking at a dinner party with close aides last week, the President is reported to have said: “We must be very vigilant on immigration. It will be the subject of 2022 [when presidential and parliamentary elections are due].”

Earlier this year, Macron indicated that parliament could set annual migration “objectives,” although he did not specifically mention immigration quotas.

Article published 20th June 2019