Macron accepts PM's resignation amid new immigration law changes

French President Emmanuel Macron has accepted Prime Minister Gabriel Attal’s resignation but has asked him to remain as head of a caretaker government until a new prime minister is appointed. This transition comes as France prepares for the international spotlight of the Paris Olympics.

Attal's resignation allows him to take his seat as a lawmaker in the National Assembly, leading Macron’s centrist allies and avoiding a potential no-confidence vote. The caretaker government, led by Attal, will manage day-to-day affairs. There is no set timeline for appointing a new prime minister.

In other news, significant changes in immigration laws have been enacted. Six months after the controversial law's enactment, several decrees have been published in the official journal. These decrees require foreigners seeking residency in France to adhere to "the principles of the Republic," including personal freedom, freedom of expression, gender equality, human dignity, the Republic’s motto and symbols, territorial integrity, and secularism.

Non-compliance with these principles can result in the refusal or withdrawal of residency permits. Another decree strengthens the conditions for refusal or cessation of material reception conditions for asylum seekers and removes the mandatory administrative appeal against such decisions. Additionally, an administrative fine has been introduced to penalize the employment of unauthorized foreign workers, and the frequency of daily check-ins for those under house arrest awaiting deportation has been increased.

These measures, part of a broader immigration reform, have been met with significant opposition from the left and human rights activists, who have labeled the laws as "inhumane" and "arbitrary." Despite partial rejections by the Constitutional Council, the law was enacted in January 2023.