Never mind voter fatigue—European politicians must also get bored of making the same empty promises on immigration. Yet they continue to do so, anyway.
Most recently, French interior minister Bruno Retailleau gave a speech on Monday promising to “toughen” up the criteria for acquiring citizenship, pointing in particular to the importance of “assimilation.”
Cette circulaire entraîne une rupture et durcit les critères, pour l’acquisition de la nationalité française. J’assume qu’il s’agit d’une circulaire d’assimilation. pic.twitter.com/t4wHmR2XiX
But critics say some of the ‘new’ measures Retailleau is proposing are, in fact, old—rendering his speech practically useless.
Pointing in particular at the minister’s insistence that “those wishing to become French must show their mastery of the French language,” The Local France editor Emma Pearson noted that foreigners hoping to gain citizenship must already prove they can speak, read, and write in French. And also that the toughening of this criterion is already due to come into effect early next year.
The same is true with regard to measures testing an applicant’s knowledge of French history and culture, as well as those measuring economic integration.
Pearson suggested the migration ‘announcement’ amounted to little more than “political games,” pointing to potential presidential ambitions for 2027.
Journalist Françoise Degois agreed that the minister’s comments were “just for show.”
Rassemblement National regional councillor Audrey Lopez was perhaps more generous with her assessment that Retailleau had expressed a “good intention,” although she did add:
It is regrettable that a clean criminal record is not among the conditions required in the future for obtaining French nationality.
Retailleau has sent his five-page circular to regional prefectures, though it has not been released in full in the public domain.
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
