Question 17977 — foreign policy

Summary

Ms. Marie Tamarelle-Verhaeghe draws the attention of the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs to the status of local civilian recruitment personnel (PCRL). When the French army intervenes in a conflict on the soil of a third country, it uses PCRLs who can be interpreters, drivers, IT specialists or even cooks. For any type of intervention, their cooperation is necessary in order to facilitate acclimatization, understanding and the work of the French forces. After the withdrawal of French troops, the PCRL can find themselves in extremely delicate situations, be perceived as traitors by local populations and even be forced to leave their country of origin. This is what happened in Afghanistan, where France engaged between 2001 and 2014 benefited from the support of nearly 800 PCRL. There are many of them, since the withdrawal of troops, to live hidden under the threat of the Taliban, while awaiting a favorable return from France from which they have made requests for long-stay visas. In April 2015, 103 Afghan PCRL visa requests were satisfied out of 252 files submitted. After a new examination of the files submitted in December 2018, 51 new requests were accepted. Questioned on the subject in the Senate on October 31, 2018 during current affairs questions, Mr. the minister cited reasons of national security to explain the rejection of certain requests. But many Afghan auxiliaries who have made a visa request remain plunged into uncertainty, as evidenced by the investigative book by journalists Brice Andlauer and Quentin Müller published in February 2019. Contacted by an Afghan translator who had his long-stay visa application refused, the Council of State, in a decree dated February 1 2019, considered that the PCRL can legitimately request “informal protection” from the Ministry of the Armed Forces, like any person under contract with the French administration. She would therefore like to know the measures he is considering to protect threatened PCRLs having been under contract with the French administration.

Machine translation from French. The official text remains authoritative.

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