Meeting in Strasbourg on 22 October, Members of the European Parliament held a heated debate on the agenda for the 23 October European Council, with migration emerging as the most contentious item. French MEPs from across the spectrum—Renaissance, Les Républicains, National Rally and the Greens—used the floor to lobby for reforms that would ease pressure on France’s asylum system while preserving freedom of movement for intra-EU business travel.
Renaissance MEP Valérie Hayer urged leaders to finalise the Asylum & Migration Pact before the end of 2025, arguing that predictable relocation and returns mechanisms are essential to “shield Schengen’s internal borders,” including France’s. National Rally’s Jean-Paul Garraud, by contrast, called for the suspension of visa-free travel from “high-risk” transit countries and denounced what he called “mass immigration masquerading as freedom of movement.”
The debate matters for mobility managers because it foreshadows possible changes in carrier liability rules and the use of pre-boarding passenger-data checks, both of which can affect airline and rail operations into France. Any Council conclusions mandating stronger external-border screening could feed into French legislative drafts in early 2026.
Observers expect President Macron to position France as a broker between Mediterranean states demanding solidarity and northern states focused on labour-market needs—a stance that could shape future talent-attraction schemes such as the Tech Visa and new renewable-energy work permits.
Renaissance MEP Valérie Hayer urged leaders to finalise the Asylum & Migration Pact before the end of 2025, arguing that predictable relocation and returns mechanisms are essential to “shield Schengen’s internal borders,” including France’s. National Rally’s Jean-Paul Garraud, by contrast, called for the suspension of visa-free travel from “high-risk” transit countries and denounced what he called “mass immigration masquerading as freedom of movement.”
The debate matters for mobility managers because it foreshadows possible changes in carrier liability rules and the use of pre-boarding passenger-data checks, both of which can affect airline and rail operations into France. Any Council conclusions mandating stronger external-border screening could feed into French legislative drafts in early 2026.
Observers expect President Macron to position France as a broker between Mediterranean states demanding solidarity and northern states focused on labour-market needs—a stance that could shape future talent-attraction schemes such as the Tech Visa and new renewable-energy work permits.
