France has decided to end a privilege previously granted to Algerian officials and diplomats, who will now be required to go through the standard visa process to enter French territory. The political crisis between France and Algeria has taken a new turn. President Emmanuel Macron has decided to suspend the visa exemption for Algerian officials and diplomats, effectively ending the 2013 agreement signed between the two countries. In a letter, Macron urged his government to act with «greater firmness and determination» toward Algeria, citing the recent sentencing of French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal to five years in prison, and journalist Christophe Gleizes, who was given seven years for «advocating terrorism». The French president called on the executive to implement «additional measures» in response to Algiers. Speaking to Le Figaro, Macron justified his decision: «The Algerian authorities have deliberately chosen not to respond to our repeated calls in recent months to work together in the interest of our two nations. It could have been different. Now, we have no choice but to adopt a firmer approach». Macron Aligns with Retailleau's Hardline Stance Macron's move is in line with the tougher policy championed for months by Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau. Last March, Retailleau had already raised the possibility of suspending visa exemptions for Algerians holding diplomatic passports, citing Algiers' refusal to repatriate nationals expelled from France for «terrorist threats». The decision announced on Wednesday comes amid escalating tensions between Paris and Algiers. At the end of July, France barred Algerian embassy staff from accessing secure areas of Parisian airports to retrieve diplomatic pouches. Algiers condemned the move as a «blatant violation» of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, particularly Article 27, paragraph 7, which guarantees diplomatic missions the right to freely transport their official correspondence. In response, the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the chargé d'affaires of the French embassy in Algiers to demand an explanation. At the same time, the Algerian ambassador to Paris, recalled on July 31, 2024, approached the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to protest what he described as a decision taken by Retailleau's office «without consultation» with the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Algiers denounced a «lack of transparency and a direct attack on the integrity of its diplomatic mission on French soil». Further straining ties, Macron's letter to King Mohammed VI dated July 31, 2024, on the occasion of Morocco's Throne Day, explicitly recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. Since then, relations between Paris and Algiers have entered what many view as the most serious diplomatic rupture in decades.
