French MPs have given final approval to a contested bill tightening migrant rules, handing President Emmanuel Macron a political victory that nonetheless exposes cracks in his centrist majority, reports RTE.
The bill, a compromise between Macron’s party and the conservative opposition, illustrates a rightward turn in much of European politics as governments try to counter the rise of the far right by tightening the issue of immigration.
“Strict measures are necessary” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said after yesterday’s vote in the lower house, reports RTE.
The minister expressed relief that the bill was adopted with the votes of his coalition of moderates and conservatives, not counting on the unexpected support of far-right parliamentarians, whose support caused embarrassment in the presidential camp.
The French government initially stated that it would be a carrot-and-stick law that would make it easier for migrants working in labour-shortage sectors to obtain residence permits but would also make it easier to deport illegal immigrants, reports RTE.
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