France under pressure from right wing, toughens stance on immigration
Skip to main content
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Splash
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Long Read
  • Games
  • Epaper
  • More
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Subscribe
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard
MONDAY, MAY 23, 2022
MONDAY, MAY 23, 2022
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Splash
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Long Read
  • Games
  • Epaper
  • More
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Subscribe
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
France under pressure from right wing, toughens stance on immigration

World+Biz

Reuters
07 November, 2019, 08:50 am
Last modified: 07 November, 2019, 09:03 am

Related News

  • Recruiters, rights bodies oppose syndication in labour migration to Malaysia
  • When will expatriates travel at lower fares?
  • US immigration enforcement targets more serious offenders as overall arrests plummet
  • Germany wants to attract 400,000 skilled workers from abroad each year
  • Non-resident Bangladeshi investment potentials lie untapped

France under pressure from right wing, toughens stance on immigration

France joins other European states that have opted to take tougher approaches on migrants since the outbreak of the Syria conflict in 2011 triggered a migrant crisis across Europe

Reuters
07 November, 2019, 08:50 am
Last modified: 07 November, 2019, 09:03 am
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe attends a news conference on immigration at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, France, November 6, 2019/ Reuters
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe attends a news conference on immigration at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, France, November 6, 2019/ Reuters

France is to clear out some migrant tent camps, impose quotas for migrant workers and deny newly-arrived asylum seekers access to non-urgent healthcare, in a drive to show voters President Emmanuel Macron is heeding their concerns about immigration.

"We want to take back control of our immigration policy," Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, a Macron appointee, told reporters as he unveiled a package of measures on immigration.

"That means when we say yes it really means yes, and when we say no, it really means no."

Opinion polls show voters are worried about the issue, driving support for far-right leader Marine Le Pen, likely to be Macron's main opponent in the next presidential election in 2022. Le Pen dismissed the new measures as political posturing.

"If I was in a bad mood I would say this is a political swindle. As I am in a good mood I say this is smoke and mirrors. This is an electoral move," she told Europe 1 radio.

Polling shows Le Pen's popularity is rising with voters while Macron -- though still in the lead -- is slipping.

Macron's centrist administration has so far resisted pressure from right-wing rivals on immigration, in part because many of his own liberal supporters are uncomfortable with any measures they feel are pandering to xenophobia.

But in announcing the new measures, France joins other European states, among them Italy, Britain and Sweden, that have opted to take tougher approaches on migrants since the outbreak of the Syria conflict in 2011 triggered a migrant crisis across Europe and fuelled populist right-wing parties.

Not Naive

The French prime minister said the 20 new measures on immigration his government unveiled on Wednesday were the mark of a "France that is open but is not naive."

"I think we have found the right balance between reassuring our citizens and not giving ground to populism," he said.

The prime minister said that migrant tent camps in eastern Paris would be razed by the end of this year, but he did not say what would happen to similar camps in other parts of the country.

At the same time, thousands of new homes would be made available for asylum seekers, he said, so that they could live in dignity.

Philippe also said the test for acquiring French citizenship would be made more exacting, and that the government would aim to process asylum applications within six months.

Ministers said quotas would be set for people moving legally to France from outside the European Union to work, but without saying what the ceiling would be.

Addressing concerns that France's free health system was attracting illegal migrants, Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said asylum seekers would have to wait three months before being entitled to healthcare. She said the restriction would not apply to children or emergency care.

Le Pen Closing Gap

In the second quarter of this year, France received 28,575 asylum applications, or 426 per million inhabitants, according to Eurostat data. That is above the EU average of 291 asylum applications per million inhabitants and puts France in eighth place overall in Europe.

France has the largest Muslim minority in Western Europe, and a large proportion of its immigrant population comes from Muslim countries.

Some French people say practices found among immigrant communities, such as Muslim women wearing full-face veils, are at odds with traditional French values, including the official secularism of the French state. Others say such concerns are used to justify racism and xenophobia.

When he was elected in 2017, Macron beat Le Pen nearly two-to-one in a runoff. An opinion poll conducted late last month by pollster Ifop showed the gap narrowing: if a runoff were to be held now, Macron would get 55% while Le Pen would have 45% support, the poll showed.

Top News

Immigration / anti-immigrant / immigrants

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • BPC hunts for dollar to import fuel oil
    BPC hunts for dollar to import fuel oil
  • Kazi Shofiqul Azam. Illustration: TBS
    It is time to be cautious about foreign-funded projects
  • Representational Image. Photo: Mumit M/TBS
    Govt to list products to suspend imports amid dollar crisis

MOST VIEWED

  • FILE PHOTO - An investor stands in front of an electronic board showing stock information at a brokerage house in Shanghai, China, August 24, 2015. REUTERS/Aly Song
    Asia stocks weighed by inflation concerns, China tech selling
  • Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint news conference with Poland's President Andrzej Duda, amid Russia's invasion, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 22, 2022. REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi
    Zelenskiy promises reciprocal rights for Poles in Ukraine
  • Poland's President Andrzej Duda shakes hands with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a joint news conference, amid Russia's invasion, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 22, 2022. REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi
    Ukraine, Poland agree on joint customs control to ease movement of people, goods
  • Anthony Albanese, leader of Australia's Labor Party, addresses supporters after incumbent Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader Scott Morrison conceded defeat in the country's general election, in Sydney, Australia May 21, 2022. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
    Australia's new PM Albanese to fly to Quad meet hours after taking reins
  • US President Joe Biden arrives aboard Air Force One at Yokota US Air Force Base in Fussa, on the outskirts of Tokyo, Japan May 22, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
    Biden meets Japanese Emperor at start of visit to launch regional economic plan
  • A view of the destroyed village of Moshchun, amid Russia's invasion, Kyiv region, Ukraine May 19, 2022. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Leonardo Benassatto
    Ukraine rejects concessions as Russians attack in east and south

Related News

  • Recruiters, rights bodies oppose syndication in labour migration to Malaysia
  • When will expatriates travel at lower fares?
  • US immigration enforcement targets more serious offenders as overall arrests plummet
  • Germany wants to attract 400,000 skilled workers from abroad each year
  • Non-resident Bangladeshi investment potentials lie untapped

Features

Why everybody wants to be like TikTok

Why everybody wants to be like TikTok

18h | Panorama
Illustration: TBS

How the ban on porn sites spawned a local cybersex industry

21h | Panorama
3 best affordable sunscreens for all

3 best affordable sunscreens for all

21h | Mode
Warah uses three types of khadi material: a sheer and light one, a medium count and a thicker one.

Warah: Embroidered with culture and womanhood

23h | Mode

More Videos from TBS

Investors, public to suffer from electricity price hike

Investors, public to suffer from electricity price hike

10h | Videos
Health benefits of summer fruits

Health benefits of summer fruits

11h | Videos
The way Bangladesh saves almost extinct fish

The way Bangladesh saves almost extinct fish

12h | Videos
Padma’s Char now largest grazing-ground

Padma’s Char now largest grazing-ground

12h | Videos

Most Read

1
Tk100 for bike, Tk2,400 for bus to cross Padma Bridge
Bangladesh

Tk100 for bike, Tk2,400 for bus to cross Padma Bridge

2
A packet of US five-dollar bills is inspected at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington March 26, 2015. REUTERS/Gary Cameron
Banking

Dollar hits Tk100 mark in open market

3
PK Halder: How a scamster rose from humble beginnings to a Tk11,000cr empire
Crime

PK Halder: How a scamster rose from humble beginnings to a Tk11,000cr empire

4
Bangladesh at risk of losing ownership of Banglar Samriddhi
Bangladesh

Bangladesh at risk of losing ownership of Banglar Samriddhi

5
BSEC launches probe against Abul Khayer Hero and allies
Stocks

BSEC launches probe against Abul Khayer Hero and allies

6
The story of Bangladesh becoming a major bicycle exporter
Industry

The story of Bangladesh becoming a major bicycle exporter

The Business Standard
Top
  • Home
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • About Us
  • Bangladesh
  • International
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Economy
  • Sitemap
  • RSS

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net

Copyright © 2022 THE BUSINESS STANDARD All rights reserved. Technical Partner: RSI Lab