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Question· Question écrite9744answered
France · National Assembly · 16 September 2025
Mr. Karim Ben Cheikh draws the attention of the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs to the question of France's commitments to Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, artists and academics who are winners of the PAUSE program and as such beneficiaries of a reception program in France. To date 26 beneficiaries have been selected by the program steering committee which includes ministry officials of the Interior and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. France is committed to requesting their evacuation as well as that of their families and to welcoming them on French soil where they will collaborate with French universities and institutions. The PAUSE program has already made it possible to welcome in France numerous foreign artists and academics whose lives are threatened, including more than 200 from the band Gaza. It is presented as a success and a remarkable contribution of the country to the continuation of the work of Palestinian researchers and artists, contributors to contemporary productions and repositories of academic and cultural knowledge of Palestinian society. In the territory of Gaza, their lives are daily threatened by murderous war conditions, by often indiscriminate strikes but also by conditions severely degraded health conditions, notably the lack of food, drinking water or basic necessities. The MP questions the Minister on how he announced the immediate suspension and sine die postponement of any evacuation from the Gaza Strip to France on August 1, 2025 following an isolated event relayed by the media. Since then, despite numerous calls from all sectors of civil society relayed in the media not to apply a collective sanction, despite the announcements and verification surveys on the profiles of the beneficiaries of the PAUSE program, despite the prospect posed by the President of the Republic that France recognizes the State of Palestine on the occasion of the next session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs has not communicated on the resumption of requests for evacuation of Palestinians to France. He asks him if he can communicate the terms of the resumption of evacuations planned by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs as part of the PAUSE program.
Question· Question écrite5836answered
France · National Assembly · 8 April 2025
Mr. Karim Ben Cheikh draws the attention of the Minister to the Minister of Labor, Health, Solidarity and Families, responsible for work and employment, to the conditions under which retirees covered by the French retirement system, whether of French or foreign nationality, fulfill their obligations to certify that they are still entitled to benefit from their retirement pension when they are established in Morocco. For a year, many beneficiaries have been invited to go to agencies of the Moroccan Retirement Fund (CMR) to check their existence even though they have already sent their life certificate due annually to their old-age insurance organization. The MP asks what are the motivations of French old age insurance organizations in carrying out these random checks. Likewise, many beneficiaries received a letter inviting them to have their life certificate endorsed by the CMR agencies exclusively even though the CMR agencies are not very numerous, unlike for example the agencies of the CNSS, which is the corresponding body of the retirement and occupational health insurance funds (CARSAT) for processing the request for liquidation of retirement pensions for future beneficiaries installed in Morocco. He asks her for details on this subject.
Question· Question écrite5833answered
France · National Assembly · 8 April 2025
Mr Karim Ben Cheikh draws the attention of the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs to the critical situation of the freezing of procedures for issuing visas with a view to asylum for Syrian nationals, in particular those belonging to persecuted religious or ethnic minorities. The MP recalls that since 2011, France has welcomed nearly 45,000 Syrians fleeing war, persecution and general insecurity. Two big ones devices have notably enabled this reception: the resettlement programs, linked to and financed by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) of the European Union and the humanitarian corridors, resulting from a memorandum of understanding signed in March 2017 between the State and several civil society organizations. These measures have enabled hundreds of seriously threatened families, often from Christian, Alawite, Yazidi, to find refuge and protection on French soil. The MP is concerned to note that, since the announcement of the fall of the Bashar el-Assad regime on December 19, 2024, the French consular services have suspended the processing of several hundred visa applications for asylum from Syrians, mainly from countries of first asylum such as Lebanon, Jordan or Turkey, where their future remains highly uncertain. This suspension, motivated by an uncertain assessment of the new political situation in Syria, places populations already in exile in a situation of extreme distress, while persecutions of a religious, ethnic or political nature continue and intensify. The deputy recalls that the protection of persecuted minorities in the East is both a moral and legal duty, enshrined in particular in the Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, ratified by France on July 28, 1951. Many organizations involved in humanitarian reception denounce the consequences of this suspension. In addition, several European chancelleries have taken similar measures, however emphasizing their temporary nature. In France, no clear communication has been made on the Government's intentions regarding the lifting or maintenance of this freeze, the consequences of which translate every day into human losses among those left without response to persecution and abuses. He would like to be informed of the Government's intentions regarding a possible imminent lifting of the freeze on procedures for issuing visas with a view to asylum for Syrian nationals, in particular for threatened religious and ethnic minorities. In In the event that this freeze is maintained, he asks it to specify what concrete modalities are envisaged in order to ensure, in compliance with international commitments, in particular those resulting from the Geneva Convention of July 28, 1951, the processing of requests for protection within a framework guaranteeing the fundamental rights of the persons concerned.
Question· Question écrite5755answered
France · National Assembly · 8 April 2025
Mr. Karim Ben Cheikh questions the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs on the methods of calculating the purchasing power parity index (IPPA), used to determine the proportions of school scholarships awarded to French children residing abroad. The IPPA is made up of 70% of a cost of living index and 30% of a housing cost index, each weighted by the chancellery rate between the euro and the local currency. These Indices are calculated from data provided annually by the Mercer Consulting agency, according to a representative basket of goods and services compared to a base of 100 for Paris. In 2024, the Mercer Consulting agency updated its calculation method, in particular by modifying the composition of the consumption basket and adjusting the consideration of current charges (water, gas, electricity, internet, etc.). However, neither the composition detailed description of this basket of goods and services, neither the weightings applied to each category of expenditure, nor the evolution of the intermediate indices by item or by component are made public. The methodological revision carried out in 2024 thus led to a marked drop in the IPPA in several consular posts, particularly in Africa and Asia, even though these regions are often affected by inflation higher than that of France. This reduction in the IPPA has a direct impact on the calculation of the weighted family quotient of scholarship applicants. In fact, a falling IPPA mechanically increases the family quotient, which reduces the grant quota allocated and therefore the amount of aid. This situation is particularly worrying in countries where the real cost of living for compatriots does not decrease, or even increases. This lack of transparency makes any independent verification of the method used impossible and prevents on the one hand parliamentary control and on the other hand the understanding of the precise reasons for the evolution of the IPPA by the advisors of French people abroad, as well as by the families concerned. He would therefore like to be informed of the Government's intentions regarding the measures envisaged to strengthen the transparency of the calculation of the parity index. purchasing power (IPPA), particularly with regard to the publication of data, weightings and methods used by the Mercer Consulting agency.
Question· Question écrite5754answered
France · National Assembly · 8 April 2025
Mr. Karim Ben Cheikh draws the attention of the Minister to the Minister of Labor, Health, Solidarity and Families, responsible for work and employment, to the deadlines for the liquidation of retirement pensions for French people established abroad. Many French social security holders residing outside the national territory, in particular outside the European Union, report significant delays in the payment of their pension. retirement. These delays, sometimes longer than a year, create situations of great financial vulnerability for applicants, who find themselves without resources throughout the administrative processing of their file. These delays concern both French people who have spent most of their career in France and those who have worked in countries linked by a bilateral social security convention. Despite the compliance with the required procedures and submission of the file on time, processing times often turn out to be much longer than those announced, without any clear explanation being provided to policyholders. This situation is all the more worrying as it has persisted for several years and fuels a great feeling of unequal treatment between policyholders residing in France and those established abroad. Also, he wants to know whether it has indicators making it possible to evaluate the average times for pensions to be paid for French people established outside France and what measures are envisaged to guarantee faster and more equitable processing of their requests.
Question· Question écrite5753answered
France · National Assembly · 8 April 2025
Mr. Karim Ben Cheikh alerts the Minister to the Minister of Labor, Health, Solidarity and Families, responsible for work and employment, on the situation of retirees of French origin established abroad or who have spent part of their career abroad. These beneficiaries are faced with numerous difficulties due to the tangle of institutional, legislative and regulatory mechanisms which are applicable. The first is that of the liquidation of the pension for French people residing outside the European Union. In countries with a social security agreement with France, beneficiaries submit their liquidation request to the corresponding local CNAV body. The procedure can be extremely long. Delays of several years are frequently observed and this problem has been reported very regularly by local elected officials, advisors to French people abroad. The second difficulty affecting beneficiaries who have experienced periods of work in France and in another country is the method of calculating pensions since a French person who has contributed the total number of quarters (including the quarters taken into account abroad) giving right to liquidation in the French system sees his pension calculated from an income average annual including the 25 best years of contributions in France. In many cases, this method of calculation requires integrating quarters contributed with starting salaries or even part-time or student “odd job” salaries to calculate the average annual income, or at significant discounts. The MP suggests that reflection be carried out around this method of calculating polypensioners, particularly around the idea of proration aimed at eliminating the unfavorable aspects of the current mode by neutralizing the years of very low contributions in France (student salaries at the start of their career). He draws the attention of the Minister to the regulatory nature of the definition of the calculation method which makes it impossible for parliamentarians to propose legislative adjustments on this issue and therefore its full, political responsibility and regulatory. A third difficulty affects local law staff employed by French institutions who benefit from a right of option to join a social contribution center in France in accordance with social security conventions with certain countries. The difference between the legal retirement age in the country in which the employee works (often around 60 or 62) and the age legal retirement in France, 64 years since the reform of February 2023, results in employers offering retirement, even though the employee has not reached the legal age for pension liquidation in the French system and cannot therefore access his rights. Finally, the MP recalls that the previous minister, Mr. Dussopt, had committed to setting up a parliamentary working group to study the question of pensions for French people established outside France. To the MP's knowledge, this parliamentary working group has not met. The proposed working group was to enable the Ministry of Labor to examine with parliamentarians representing French people established outside France the numerous problems encountered by our compatriots receiving pensions. The MP reminds the Minister of the complexity of this problem and the very strong social consequences on the French people concerned, particularly for all compatriots who have spent part of their career abroad. The MP finally recalls that article 45 of the law of January 20, 2014 on pensions provided for the submission by the Government of a report to Parliament detailing the conditions of application of existing bilateral international conventions in matters of retirement. This report was in particular to assess the consequences of the implementation of these conventions for French people entitled to foreign systems and no longer residing in the State concerned and was also to examine the difficulties linked to receiving a retirement pension abroad. Due before December 31, 2014 and despite in-depth research, the MP notes that this report has not been submitted to Parliament. He would like to know its position on this subject, as well as on the constitution of the parliamentary working group on pensions for French people living abroad, at a time when the Assembly of French people living abroad is organizing a “Conference on the social protection of French people established outside France” until October 2025 under the aegis of the President of the National Assembly and the President of the Senate.
Question· Question écrite5744answered
France · National Assembly · 8 April 2025
Mr. Karim Ben Cheikh questions the Minister of State and Minister of the Interior about repeated dysfunctions in the processing of applications for renewal of residence permits in certain prefectures. In particular, excessive delays in making appointments and processing have been observed, which plunge many applicants into a dramatic and unjustifiable administrative, economic and social situation. These Malfunctions in state services undermine the fundamental rights of applicants, for which they can have particularly serious consequences: dismissal, difficulties in accessing stable housing, loss of access to social and educational rights, inability to travel outside the European Union. The deputy is surprised that foreigners in a legal situation on French territory and respectful of regulatory procedures required for the renewal of their title are forced to resort to the administrative court to obtain an appointment at the prefecture. In this context, the MP wishes to know how the Minister explains the deadlines for issuing renewed residence permits. He would like to know the measures envisaged to significantly improve the processing times for applications for securities. stay and guarantee rigorous administrative monitoring in order to ensure an efficient and dignified public service. He also asks for detailed figures on the number of staff and budgets devoted to immigration services in the prefectures, at the national level.
Question· Question écrite16533answered
France · National Assembly · 26 March 2024
Mr. Karim Ben Cheikh draws the attention of the Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty to the situation of French people established in Burkina Faso, with regard to their tax obligations in their host country and with respect to France. The de facto authorities of this country denounced the tax convention at the beginning of August 2023 according to their declarations and notified its entry into force by note verbale on November 11, 2023 while the terms of this bilateral convention provided that any unilateral denunciation must be carried out before June 30 of the calendar year and that "in this case, the Convention will cease to apply from January 1 of the year following the date of notification, it being understood that the effects will be limited" (article 44 of the convention of August 11, 1965). The MP would like to obtain clarification of the date on which the denunciation of the Burkinabé authorities produces its effects from the point of view of the French tax administration. He draws the attention of the Minister to the fact that the end of this agreement has obvious consequences including tax insecurity for employees of French companies, personnel seconded from national education employed in AEFE approved schools or international transport companies as well as numerous legal uncertainties regarding the liability of inheritances or income from subsidiaries of French companies. The MP notes that in Niger and Mali, the authorities of these countries have similarly denounced the bilateral tax conventions in December 2023. He took note of the Government's response which indicates that in the case of Niger and Mali, the date of March 5, 2024 is retained as the date on which the conventions tax measures no longer produce any effect. He asks whether French nationals from these countries will be able to quickly have precise information and instructions on their tax obligations vis-à-vis the French tax services.
Question· Question écrite16530open
France · National Assembly · 26 March 2024
M. Karim Ben Cheikh alerte M. le Premier ministre sur la situation inquiétante des Palestiniens originaires de la bande de Gaza, qui souhaitent obtenir des visas vers la France depuis les postes consulaires égyptiens. En effet, les quelques Gazaouis qui parviennent à rejoindre le territoire égyptien depuis le terminal de Rafah ne sont autorisés à y séjourner que 30 jours et doivent par la suite disposer d'un visa ou d'un laissez-passer vers un pays tiers. Pour autant, en l'absence d'une évolution des conditions d'attribution des visas au titre de l'asile, celles et ceux qui souhaitent rejoindre des proches ou une structure d'accueil en France depuis les postes consulaires français en Égypte ne peuvent pas le faire en l'état. Face à l'aggravation de la situation humanitaire à Gaza, la Cour nationale du droit d'asile, dans une décision du 12 février 2024, a ouvert la voie vers la possibilité pour les Palestiniens originaires de Gaza de se voir octroyer la protection subsidiaire prévue par le droit européen, en estimant qu'en cas de retour à Gaza, leur seule présence en tant que civils constitue un risque réel et immédiat pour leur vie ou leur personne. Dans la lignée de cette décision récente, M. le député s'interroge sur la possibilité d'étendre l'accession à cette protection aux Palestiniens originaires de la bande de Gaza pouvant être accueillis par des proches ou des structures identifiées en France et qui en feraient la demande depuis l'Égypte. En ce sens, M. le député rappelle le dispositif des « couloirs humanitaires » qui avait été mis en place pour faciliter aux Syriens l'obtention de visas au titre de l'asile en urgence depuis les postes consulaires de Beyrouth, d'Istanbul ou d'Amman. Il lui demande si un dispositif similaire pourrait être mis en œuvre pour les personnes originaires de Gaza.
Question· Question écrite16527open
France · National Assembly · 26 March 2024
Mr. Karim Ben Cheikh draws the attention of the Prime Minister to the difficulties faced by Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, family ties to French compatriots or to agents of the French Institute or the French consulate in Jerusalem, who wish to be evacuated through the Rafah terminal. He calls for an expansion of the criteria applied by the French authorities in matters of evacuation. Since the launch of the Israeli military offensive in Gaza, only 200 people were able to be evacuated by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs from Egypt. In addition to the security veto which seems to be imposed by the Israeli services on certain profiles, the French consulate general in Jerusalem is required to apply for its part a strict definition of the notion of relatives of French people or staff of the consulate and the Institute. French, allowing only a very limited number of people to be included on the lists. The collective of French nationals from Gaza, who have been waiting for more than 70 days for the evacuation of their parents from the Gaza Strip, as well as a number of Gaza nationals, are warning of this situation. As humanitarian situation in Gaza worsens, some people eligible to be on Gaza exit list (French, staff of the consulate or the French Institute) are forced to stay there with those of their relatives who have not been authorized to appear on the lists presented by the consulate to the Israeli authorities. Thus, in the absence of a change in the evacuation criteria applied by the French authorities, those who wish to leave temporarily to join relatives in France are forced to stay there or use smugglers to Egypt, at a cost estimated at 10,000 euros per person. He asks him if instructions can be given to the French consulate general in Jerusalem in order to broaden the criteria for evacuation, in particular by including ascendants and adult children.
Question· Question écrite14222answered
France · National Assembly · 2 January 2024
Mr. Karim Ben Cheikh alerts the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs to the situation of the French community in Niger or evacuated from Niger in the summer of 2023. Mr. the deputy relies on numerous concordant elements making it possible to deduce that the Government and the President of the Republic decided during a defense council the total closure of French diplomatic assets in Niger, a decision sufficiently rare and unprecedented to that he considers that the national representation can be informed of the reasons and developments which led to this. He emphasizes that at no time was he questioned or consulted about this decision and that the French community on site or repatriated this summer has not received official recommendations since August 2023. The MP asks in what way the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs is taking into account This perspective will ensure French people in Niger have access to public services and in particular to procedures relating to civil status, school and university scholarships, the issuance of passports and national identity cards and access to solidarity or disability allowances. He questions the Minister about the knowledge that her services have of the number of French people currently on the territory of the Republic of Niger. Finally he asks the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs to what extent the La Fontaine high school, an establishment directly managed by the agency for French education abroad, may be affected by this decision to close diplomatic and consular services and questions her about the continuity of distance learning courses for the benefit of students registered for this school year as well as the prospects for the start of the school year next.
Question· Question écrite12612open
France · National Assembly · 31 October 2023
Mr. Karim Ben Cheikh reminds the Minister of Labor, Full Employment and Integration that he undertook, during the parliamentary debate on the law on pensions, in the Senate, to set up a parliamentary working group to study the question of pensions for French people established outside France. To his knowledge, this parliamentary working group has not met. He draws the attention of the Minister to the fact that he It has not been specified whether this parliamentary working group will also include, as it would like, the deputies of French people living abroad. Furthermore, he recommends that the Assembly of French People Abroad can be fully associated with the work of this parliamentary working group. The working group, proposed by the Minister, was to enable the Ministry of Labor, Full Employment and Integration to work with the parliamentarians representing French people established outside France so that the numerous problems encountered by these compatriots in asserting their pension rights are taken into account by the ministry. He suggests that one of the objectives of this working group is for the ministry to specify what measures could be considered so that the issue of multiple pensioners and in particular those who have had international careers and fragmented careers with less than 25 years of contributions in France benefit from a system for calculating their pension taking into account a proration aimed at eliminating the unfavorable aspects of the current method by neutralizing the years of very low contributions (student salaries at the start of their career) in the calculation of the average annual income serving as a basis for calculating the retirement pension. He reminds the Minister of complexity of this problem and the very strong social consequences on the French people concerned, particularly for all compatriots who have spent part of their career abroad without benefiting from an attachment of their employment contract to French law. He draws his attention to the regulatory nature of the definition of the calculation method which makes it impossible for parliamentarians to propose legislative adjustments. on this issue and therefore its full responsibility, political and regulatory, in this regard. The MP finally recalls that article 45 of the law of January 20, 2014 on pensions provided for the submission by the Government of a report to Parliament detailing the conditions of application of existing bilateral international conventions on retirement. This report was intended in particular to assess the consequences of the implementation of these conventions for French people entitled to foreign systems and no longer residing in the State concerned and was also to examine the difficulties linked to receiving a retirement pension abroad. Due before December 31, 2014 and despite in-depth research, the MP notes that this report has not been submitted to Parliament. He wants to know his position on the subject.
Question· Question écrite12556answered
France · National Assembly · 31 October 2023
Mr. Karim Ben Cheikh draws the attention of the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs to the worrying situation in which the students and families of the French education network in Algeria find themselves. This network made up of 22 private establishments, approved by derogation by the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE) for several years, is put in difficulty by the desire of the Algerian authorities to no longer allow the affiliation of educational establishments to a label submitted to a foreign institution. Certain establishments were administratively closed by the Algerian Ministry of Education, upon report of its inspection, on the basis of Order No. 05-07 dated August 23, 2005 governing teaching in private educational establishments. Hundreds of students of French nationality now find themselves without a solution schooling in a French education program. Access to the distance learning program through the National Center for Distance Education (CNED) in its regulated format, allowing access to a course leading to the validation of the baccalaureate, is reserved for students who studied the previous year in a class approved by the AEFE. Consequently, French families in Algeria meet for most of them deprived of the possibility of allowing their children to study in a program allowing them direct access to the French higher education system. The deputy recalls that following the state visit of the President of the Republic, in August 2022, to Algeria, then the trip of the delegation of the high-level meeting led by the Prime Minister in September 2022, the Government had announced the prospect of enhancing the Franco-Algerian relationship to the level of a strategic partnership. In this regard, the MP asks the Minister what are the achievements of this intergovernmental dialogue for the French people of Algeria and in particular for the development of a French education system in this country which is sized to meet the needs expressed by the French and Francophile community. from Algeria. Apart from the Alexandre Dumas international high school located in Algiers and whose annexes have opened in Annaba and Oran, he notes that there is, to his knowledge, no other directly managed establishment capable of welcoming French students with the authorization and guarantee of the Algerian State. The MP therefore asks what actions have been taken by the Government to find a solution for schooling in a French education program for young French people in Algeria, whether in terms of opening access to the regulated CNED program, including for new students, or through the creation or extension of a network of French establishments authorized by the Algerian authorities. The MP recalls that, with regard to French students residing in France who are subject to compulsory education, the CNED is the institution which provides an educational service to their destination and is concerned that French students cannot currently access French education, including from the regulated CNED course. He wants to know his position on the subject.
Question· Question écrite12474answered
France · National Assembly · 31 October 2023
Mr. Karim Ben Cheikh draws the attention of the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs to the feeling of abandonment and incomprehension of the French community living in the Sahelian countries, in Burkina Faso and Mali in particular, following the suspension of the issuance of visas to nationals of these countries and the suspension of development cooperation announced by France on August 7, 2023. He draws her attention to the fact that the contractual service providers of the consulates general of Bamako and Ouagadougou took advantage of the classification in the red zone of all the zones of these countries by the ministry to suspend the receipt of visa applications, on instructions from the French authorities. Mr. MP, in view of the numerous difficulties observed locally, asks that the Minister kindly clarify whether France still has the capacity for processing visa applications in Burkina Faso and Mali, if it is able to maintain or strengthen processing and issuing capacities in these countries. He asks what measures are planned to allow a gradual return to capacities capable of covering the most urgent needs on site, particularly for the following categories: spouses and families of French people, students admitted to a French higher education establishment, artists and entrepreneurs linked to French entities. The MP would also like to know if these countries have put in place reciprocal measures which could call into question the taking up of posts there by some of the consular or diplomatic staff. Finally, regarding the suspension of certain development cooperation, he would like to know the scope of these suspensions and draw attention to the direct impact that such a suspension could have on vulnerable local populations.
Question· Question écrite12473open
France · National Assembly · 31 October 2023
Mr. Karim Ben Cheikh draws the attention of the Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, responsible for public accounts, to the conditions under which retirees from the French system, whether French or of foreign nationality, fulfill their obligations to certify that they are still entitled to benefit from their retirement pension. Since 2018, beneficiaries of Pensions from French sources can no longer have the life certificate drawn up in many French consulates even though this is a document required annually by old age insurance organizations. These decisions followed a reduction in consulate missions to compensate for the continued decline in staff numbers over more than 15 years. The deputy specifies that this gradual disappearance of certain missions entrusted until now at consulates has also affected notary services or even telephone and physical reception in consulates. In the absence of a programming law for foreign affairs, the MP considers that it is the responsibility of the ministry in charge of public accounts to budgetally program the resources and staff necessary to provide a worthy public service to French people established outside France. Mr. Deputy asks whether the Ministry of Action and Public Accounts took into account, in the reassessment of the employment ceilings of the “External Action of the State” mission, the need to provide new staff for the allocation of budgetary program 151 concerning the administration of French people abroad and consular affairs so that consulates can once again become places in which the oldest French people can complete the formalities required of them. He is concerned that this question is absent from recent announcements aimed at combating what the Ministry of Public Accounts describes as social fraud; these announcements also appear to him to ignore the realities of fellow citizens and pensioners of French origin established abroad. He wants to know his position on the subject.
Question· Question écrite8533answered
France · National Assembly · 6 June 2023
Mr. Karim Ben Cheikh draws the attention of the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs to the human resources situation in French consulates, which directly affects the issuance of visas in many posts. The difficulties observed last year during the summer campaign for student visa applications, as in Senegal, are being repeated this year, since the ministry has not granted consulates the means sufficient to meet the high demand during the summer period, which sees the usual applications for short-stay visas for tourist and family reasons added to student visa applications. Due to a lack of sufficient resources, some consular services are considering completely closing short-stay visa application counters during the summer months, which will automatically increase appointment times. and issuing visas. This situation is felt all the more harshly within consulates because it was predictable and therefore avoidable. Consular services are also largely overwhelmed in Tunis, Istanbul, Abidjan and Dakar. The MP notes that these temporary difficulties come on top of the structural difficulties already highlighted on the occasion of his special report on the External Action budgetary mission of the state. The non-replacement of international volunteers previously assigned to visa services, the elimination of certain positions during the COVID-19 pandemic or the implementation of the “France-Visas” software solution are all factors which have contributed to straining an already critical situation. The MP noted in particular that the implementation of France-Visas did not make it possible to reduce processing and processing times. issuance of visas. Far from being an application serving better agent productivity, France-Visas forces them to have a longer entry time of +30%, according to what was indicated during the hearings of the special rapporteur for the State's External Action budgetary mission. The persistent difficulties with appointment times and obtaining visas are all the more incomprehensible given that Madam Minister, previously alerted to insufficient human resources in many consulates, announced, in September 2022, 100 additional positions (FTE) under the 2023 budget, including a fraction devoted to consular affairs. The issue of visas, despite the reassuring announcements made by the Government, acts as a slow poison in relations between France and the populations of countries to which we are linked by ties. multiple human, cultural, economic and political. It exposes on a daily basis teams already on the verge of burnout according to several testimonies as well as heads of consular or diplomatic posts who are constantly asked to explain locally the lack of availability of appointments and the inability of their services to absorb the demand. The obstacle course of visa applicants, including many relatives and families of French compatriots, also causes lasting damage to the image of France and fuels anti-French discourse. The MP asks what concrete measures the Minister has planned to sustainably provide the consulates with human operating resources and to cope with the additional demand during the summer period, foreseeable and announced by the posts, knowing that a simple reorganization "with constant staff" cannot bring a credible or sustainable solution. He also asks him what immediate reinforcements are planned to deal with the urgent situation in many consulates.
Question· Question écrite8411answered
France · National Assembly · 30 May 2023
Mr. Karim Ben Cheikh draws the attention of the Minister Delegate to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, responsible for foreign trade, attractiveness and French people living abroad, to the fact that the advisors of French people living abroad and the consular administration examined the school scholarship application files of fellow citizens without knowing the limiting envelopes for each position. The MP is concerned about the partial information of consular elected officials and the administration in the context of the 2023 exercise of the consular scholarship councils and asks what is the reason for the change in methodology. He notes that the exercise of consular scholarship councils was held in a context where tuition fees have increased in many educational establishments abroad (+ 8% for directly managed establishments and + 6% in average in the rest of the network). The MP recalls that during the budgetary discussion at the time of the adoption of the finance law for 2023, the majority, as well as the Government, had estimated that the budgetary envelope dedicated to school scholarships, 104.4 million euros, was satisfactory to cover the needs of scholarship families in a global economic context marked by inflation and a currency effect. unfavorable euro/dollar. The MP asks whether this estimate is still considered relevant. If this were not the case, he asked how the ministry intends to cover the needs of families as it has committed to doing and whether the Agency for French Education Abroad will be called upon to use its reserves to finance school scholarships. The MP also underlines that it is necessary to be vigilant to ensure that the quotas scholarships decided by consular council are not unjustifiably reduced for budgetary reasons and notes that certain scholarship families have already left the French education system abroad because they are unable to pay the remainder. He asks her for her position on this subject.
Question· Question écrite400answered
France · National Assembly · 2 August 2022
Mr. Karim Ben Cheikh draws the attention of the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs to the situation regarding the issuance of visas in the consular posts of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. The difficulties noted for a long time are aggravated by the decision of Mr. Castex's Government, in September 2021, to automatically reduce the visas granted for the three Maghreb countries, on the grounds that the latter refuse to issue consular passes for their nationals who are subject to obligations to leave French territory (OQTF). This decision was intended, according to the Government spokesperson at the time, to “push the countries concerned to change their policy and agree to issue “consular passes”. Ten months later, this policy has not resolved the issue it was supposed to address. On the other hand, many Nationals of the three Maghreb countries denounce visa rejections without serious reason, which is contrary to the right of applicants to an individual and serious examination of their file. The MP believes that the citizens of the three aforementioned countries do not have to suffer the consequences of a standoff policy of dubious effectiveness. Today, people presenting all the necessary guarantees to travel to the country are seen prevented from entering the national territory. Refusals and delays in granting visas concern various profiles: entrepreneurs, students (some having completed public schooling in the French education system), parents or spouses of French people... For their part, diplomatic personnel, subject to untenable injunctions, suffer a hostility that is all the more damaging as it is added to a political context particularly difficult region. In the end, it is a real breakdown of trust with populations historically close to the country that is taking place today. The price to pay will undoubtedly be heavy on French bilateral policies, at all levels. In view of these elements, he questions the need to put an end to this unjust, counterproductive and, in many aspects, incoherent policy.