French Interior Minister Visits Morocco to Discuss Immigration and Security Cooperation

Bruno Retailleau is expected in Rabat this Sunday for a review visit, six months after his appointment to the Bayrou government. During his stay in Morocco, the French Interior Minister will meet with his Moroccan counterpart, Abdelouafi Laftit. The two officials will discuss matters of mutual interest such as the fight against organized crime and terrorism, drug trafficking, and irregular immigration, according to CNews.

This trip aims to "consolidate the progress [...] particularly regarding consular laissez-passer." In other words, to assess the "strengthening of progress" made in bilateral cooperation since Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Rabat at the end of last October. The French president had at the time expressed his desire to facilitate the entry of Moroccans into France.

Paris criticizes Rabat for not issuing many consular laissez-passer and for blocking the return of Moroccans in irregular situations in France. "If you don’t issue us more consular laissez-passer to expel your delinquent nationals, on our side, we will issue fewer visas to your nationals," Retailleau stated. In 2023, France granted 238,000 visas to Moroccans and carried out 1,680 forced returns.