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Immigration in France: Toward a Not So Open Policy?
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12761 |
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CURRENT ISSUES
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3 / 1987 |
3,084 Words |
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Gerard-Francois Dumont
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Paris, November 1986: The government prepared a reform of its Nationality Code, revising conditions for the "naturalization" of foreigners living in France. The announcement of the reform was front page news in every French newspaper for days, first because of the impending reform itself and secondly because of an unexpected event that occurred while the reform was being announced.
The Council of State (cabinet) made public its decision regarding a document that is traditionally kept secret and only for governmental use. The minister of justice and president of the council, Albin Chalandon, reminded the council of its responsibility to maintain discretion. The secretary general of the largest party in the majority, the Rassemblement pour la Republique (Rally for the Republic), or RPR, vehemently criticized the "politicization" of the Council of State.
What basically is the reform's objective? Citizenship laws in France are generally broad. One part of the old code grants automatic citizenship in certain cases to aliens who make no voluntary effort nor have the desire to become French citizens. Some critics say that such a law is contrary to human rights, because a democratic country should not impose its nationality on any alien without asking permission. During a recent census, in fact, thousands of legal Frenchmen proclaimed themselves to be of another nationality.
The fact of the matter is that the reform proposed by the government is at the heart of the immigration debate. The French evoke the specter of racism and others the specter of immigration for political or electoral motives. European immigration since 1880, after World War I, and after World War II was most valuable to the French economy, especially in light of the aging population linked to low birthrates and of the deaths caused by the wars. African immigration during the 1960s provided the economy with needed manpower.
This is why for some the Nationality Code reform jeopardizes a French tradition of openness. There is a feeling that France should remain the country with the easiest nationalization standards. From this principle, a three-fold reaction against the reform has emerged: that of the political opposition, who see in it an occasion to rally its supporters; that of jurists, who contest various wordings in the reform texts; and that of religious leaders, who expose all that might appear xenophobic.
The Nationality Code affair is destined to take on larger dimensions feeding the media and exciting passions for months to come.
In reality, if the current Nationality Code in France is examined rationally, it can be seen that it is the result of a series of texts, some of which were drafted for transitional purposes during the various stages of decolonization. Today the totality of these texts is of immense complexity, and a reform toward simplification is in order.
Trouble over Malians
Paris, October 1986: The French government chartered a plane to expel 101 Malians living illegally in France, a quarter of whom had criminal records. The affair created a great sensation and made the front pages of French newspapers for several days.
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