French Prime Minister François Bayrou has announced that France will push for a “complete review” of the 1968 agreement with Algeria, a deal that granted Algerians special immigration privileges.
If Algiers refused to renegotiate, Bayrou warned, Paris would “terminate” the agreement entirely.
“Algeria must re-examine all the agreements and the way in which they are being implemented,” Bayrou declared, setting a deadline of “one month, six weeks” for a response.
He accused Algeria of failing to uphold its commitments under the agreement, particularly concerning the repatriation of its nationals ordered to leave French territory.
Bayrou’s announcement came after an inter-ministerial committee meeting on immigration in the city of Mulhouse.
That was where, on February 22, a 37-year-old Algerian illegally living in France and under an obligation to leave French territory (OQTF), allegedly carried out a knife attack in Mulhouse, killing one person and injuring seven others.
According to the French PM, the suspect had been presented “14 times” to the Algerian authorities, who had consistently refused to take him back.
“The victims we saw in Mulhouse this weekend are the direct victims of the refusal to apply the 1968 agreements between the two countries,” Bayrou said.
While insisting he did not seek escalation, he made it clear that France would no longer tolerate Algeria’s refusal to readmit its nationals.
“It is the responsibility of the French Government to say that refusing to readmit [Algerian nationals] is a direct attack on the agreements we have with the Algerian authorities and that we will not accept it,” he said.
Interior minister Bruno Retailleau has been advocating for Algerian immigration to France to be reduced alongside efforts to better assimilate those already in the country.
French interior minister Bruno Retailleau has proposed reducing Algerian immigration and promoting assimilation to combat what he says is growing anti-French sentiment among those of Algerian descent and citizens in Algeria. https://t.co/hRuTZh9zqk
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) January 22, 2025
Bayrou also argued that immigration was taking a “worrying turn” in the country.
It was the not first time the French PM had claimed France had become ‘overwhelmed’ by migration.
Signed six years after the Algerian War, which ended French colonial rule in the North African country, the 1968 agreement granted Algerians preferential treatment in France.
Under its terms, Algerians could obtain a 10-year residency permit after just three years in France, while most other foreign nationals must wait five years.
They were also granted eligibility for a special “residence certificate” lasting between one and 10 years and benefited from more lenient family reunification rules, allowing applications after just one year instead of the usual 18 months.
French-Algerian relations have, though, now been deteriorating for months.
In 2024, France recognised Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, a move that angered Algiers.
The situation between Paris and Algeria worsened earlier in 2025 when an Algerian social media influencer known as ‘Zazouyoucef’ on TikTok was accused of inciting violence against opponents of the Algerian regime in France.
Algerian authorities have yet to respond to Bayrou’s announcement.
An Algerian influencer known as “Zazouyoucef” on social media has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for “direct provocation to an act of terrorism”, following comments he made on TikTok. https://t.co/IUAAPiYOXg
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) February 25, 2025
