A woman from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), who came to do an obstetrics internship at the Clermont-Ferrand hospital, waits in the holding area for persons in transit at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport, November 21, 2023. LAURENCE GEAI/MYOP
The Pact on Migration and Asylum was one of the European legislative packages that took the longest time to conclude. It was intended to significantly reinforce European Union border controls. But after being adopted in May 2024, it risks missing its implementation deadline in France. Several Interior Ministry sources expressed concern over the fact that the set of European measures – one directive and nine regulations – had not yet been transposed into French law. Most of its provisions are due to take effect on June 12, with the remainder entering into force on July 1.
Originally, the government had planned to pass a bill on the matter: while the nine regulations are directly applicable, they create complications in situations where they conflict with French law and thus will, at the very least, require adaptation, as European regulatory language does not always align with French legislation. Yet the government, lacking a parliamentary majority, swiftly dropped this option.
