French Expats in Morocco Denounce Visa Restrictions for North Africans

The association "Français du Monde-Adfe Maroc" issued a press release to express its feelings following the French decision. "We, elected officials, advisers to the French abroad and members of the steering committee of the Association ’Français du Monde-Adfe Maroc’ object that this is a serious attack on the international mobility of people. We denounce this project which amounts to causing confusion between the policy of circulation of people and the migration policy in the pre-electoral context that we know," it wrote.

In the eyes of the association, this decision is contrary to the interests of French people established in the kingdom "because it is presented as a ’sanction’ towards Morocco, a country that hosts on its soil several tens of thousands of French nationals as well as important French economic interests and investments".

"The nature and context of this announcement amounts to admitting that in the event of failure of diplomatic discussions, it is legitimate to impose sanctions on the populations established in one or the other country," analyzes the association, calling for the "withdrawal of this project which, presented as such, would inevitably result in an attack on the rights of movement of Moroccan citizens, an arbitrary and unfair issuance of visas and a decrease in interest for France of its Moroccan economic partners".

The association "Français du Monde-Adfe Maroc" also says it is attentive "to the consequences of this announcement which deals a blow to families, to cooperation between France and Morocco [...] in a context that has made exchanges more difficult and family or professional situations much more complicated".