French PM Borne Advocates for EU-Wide Approach to Immigration Reform

"When you are a governing party that has participated in the European construction, if you think there are things to change, you don’t put yourself outside the European rules, you act to change the rules... I am deeply European, and I think it is within this framework that we must build the right answers," Élisabeth Borne said in an interview with Radio J, tackling the Republicans (LR) who have tabled a constitutional law proposal on the subject in the National Assembly and the Senate.

These proposals provide for the inclusion in the Constitution of "assimilation", the possibility of a referendum on immigration policy, the possibility of renouncing the principle of the primacy of international treaties and European law, the restoration of the offense of illegal residence, etc.

The Prime Minister, on the other hand, advocates the idea of a "balanced" project on immigration, between expulsions and integration. On this issue, "the French are expecting effective answers rather than slogans, constitutional reforms," insisted Élisabeth Borne, specifying that she has "asked Gérald Darmanin [...] to conduct consultations based on proposals that may have been made by the government."

The head of the French government says she is ready to discuss "with the other parliamentary groups who share the concern and the desire to improve the situation on these migration issues."