After days of procrastination and indecision, the French Government has finally decided to close French borders, including for French people living abroad outside the European Union (EU).
It is now necessary to justify one or more “
compelling reasons
” to enter France.
These grounds, of which an “indicative” list has been published, focus on particularly serious situations, such as the death of a parent in direct line or a court summons.
Thus, an unprecedented fact under the Fifth Republic, French people living abroad who do not reside in the European Union are de facto prohibited from joining “national territory”.
Thus, an unprecedented fact under the Fifth Republic, the French living abroad not residing in the European Union are de facto prohibited from joining the "
national territory
", failing to justify one of the aforementioned reasons.
In other words, since February 1, these French people are no longer welcome in France, in their own country, of which they have the nationality, with which the vast majority of them continue to maintain strong links, family, professional, and of course historical and emotional ties.
What justifies such a decision, when any national or resident within the European Union can enter the national territory on presentation of a negative PCR test of less than 72 hours or even without presentation of test for cross-border workers?
The government's inability to organize a simple system of PCR testing upon arrival in France forces it to simply close the borders to all our compatriots living outside the EU.
We strongly denounce this double standards, two measures.
This stigma is all the more shocking as our compatriots living abroad have always complied with all the necessary measures to stay in France: tests before departure and on arrival, quarantine, respect for the curfew or even the containment in effect.
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These French people cannot be the collateral damage of a government policy which has demonstrated its ineffectiveness since the start of the health crisis.
After the mask fiasco, the testing fiasco and the unacceptable delay in the French vaccination campaign, the government's inability to organize a simple system of PCR tests on arrival in France forced it to simply close the borders to all our compatriots living outside the EU.
But removing the problem does not solve it.
No communication, recommendation or strategy has been deployed by the government for the vaccination of French people living abroad, unlike the campaign organized during the H1N1 flu in 2009.
Depending on their place of residence, the French are, de facto, no longer equal in rights.
This keeping part of the French in their country apart poses real legal and constitutional questions: depending on their place of residence, the French are no longer equal in rights.
Furthermore, Article 3 of Protocol No. 4 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of September 16, 1963, provides, in absolute terms, that "
no one may be deprived of the right to enter on the territory of the State of which he is a national
”.
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Emmanuel Macron and the government have therefore placed France on the sidelines of its own Constitution and the international treaties it has ratified, by discriminating against some of its own citizens.
But the 1.8 million French people who live outside the EU are just as French as their compatriots in metropolitan France and overseas.
The Government must recognize this in its actions rather than giving in to the ease of outright ban.
It is simply a question of recognizing a fundamental right: we do not ask in any case for a health pass, and we will obviously strictly comply with the imposed rules (present a negative PCR test of less than 72 hours, and quarantine).
We are simply asking for equal treatment between French citizens, residing in or outside the EU, whether it concerns the return to the national territory or the fact of benefiting from the vaccines authorized as part of the Government's vaccination campaign. .
The co-signers of this forum belong to a group of French people living abroad close to Xavier Bertrand, delegates from Les Républicains and officials from the La Manufacture association:
Jean-Paul Mulot
, former Representative of Hauts-de-France in the United Kingdom. Uni, La Manufacture;
Matthias Baccino
, coordinator of the Ideas Pole, La Manufacture;
Artus Galiay
, Representative of the Republicans Great Britain, La Manufacture;
Julien Barlan
, Republican Delegate New York, La Manufacture;
Mehdi Bournissa
, Lawyer, United Arab Emirates, La Manufacture;
Philippe Chalon
, Consular Delegate Les Républicains, London;
Julia Galland
, Zürich, Les Républicains Suisse;
Khadiatou Diallo
, London;
Arthur Loréal
, La Manufacture;
Edward Fox
, Warwick;
Gérard Pomper
, Republican Israel Delegate.