Republicans Propose Constitutional Amendment to Tighten French Immigration Laws

The objective of this proposal, recalled in the explanatory memorandum, is to "reaffirm France’s right to decide sovereignly who it wishes to welcome and who it wishes to refuse on national territory". The text proposes an amendment to Article 1 of the French Constitution of 1958, in force, to emphasize that "no one can claim their origin or religion to evade the laws of the Republic". This paragraph aims to "affirm the refusal of communitarianism", we explain.

In its Article 2 amending Article 11 of the Constitution, the constitutional bill authorizes the President to submit to referendum "any bill or any organic law" on any subject, and not only on issues related to the organization of public powers, economic, social or environmental reforms, or the ratification of treaties. In the same vein, the opinion of the Constitutional Council, which would now be seized before any referendum, will be made public to "enlighten the French".

The text also proposes an amendment to Article 55 of the Constitution, enshrining the superior authority of ratified international treaties and agreements "over that of laws", as well as Article 88-1 on the primacy of international and European law over French law. Henceforth, this primacy would no longer target an organic law whose objective is to "ensure the safeguarding of the fundamental interests of the nation". This would be a "conventional shield" intended to allow France to derogate if necessary from certain community and international rules.

The proposal also provides for an amendment to Article 3 of the Constitution to proclaim that "no one can become French without proving their assimilation to the French community", and to stipulate that a law will determine each year "the maximum number of entry authorizations" of non-EU foreigners in France. "No principle, including constitutional", will be "enforceable against the execution of this law", we specify, stressing that quotas will be set for visa or residence permit applications.

"Any foreign national who poses a threat to public security is removed from the national territory", proposes Article 6 of the LR text, while its Article 7 announces that asylum applications will henceforth be "filed and processed in the diplomatic representations or consular posts of France, or at the border" and that the applicant will only access French territory at the end of the procedure. A way for the right to fight "against the misappropriations of an asylum system at the end of its rope".