April 11 () –
The Constitutional Council of France has rejected a proposal for a citizen initiative referendum presented by the Republicans (LR) party on five provisions related to social benefits to foreigners that were already censored by the body and that are part of the controversial immigration reform.
Of the five provisions proposed for consultation, it is worth highlighting that the payment of non-contributory social benefits is conditioned on a minimum duration of stay in the country of 30 months, in the case of a professional activity, or five years.
The body has argued that this duration is a “disproportionate attack on the rights to social protection.” “Consequently, in accordance with its jurisprudence, the Council considers, without having to rule on the conformity with the Constitution of its other provisions, that the bill does not meet the condition provided for,” he added.
The Constitutional Council already validated in 2011 the same five-year period for a foreigner in a legal situation to benefit from social benefits, although it has now described that duration as disproportionate, according to the French newspaper 'Le Figaro'.
In response, the leader of LR, Éric Ciotti, has ironically noted on the social network X that this decision is a “surprise.” “The Constitutional Council once again responds to the Government's orders. The scandal continues,” he added.
With this initiative, the conservative party sought to overcome the blockade around immigration reform, the bulk of which the body itself overthrew at the end of January – up to 32 articles – for not being related to the substance of the bill promoted by the Executive and which the National Assembly rejected at first.
The controversial reform – whose constitutionality was questioned by the then Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne – revealed the cracks in Renacimiento, President Emmanuel Macron's party, which had to resort to the support of the opposition LR and the National Rally for its final approval in the National Assembly.
