Alexandre Chauveau with AFP / Photo credit: XOSE BOUZAS / HANS LUCAS / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP
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8:36 a.m., December 14, 2023
Élisabeth Borne receives several parliamentarians this Wednesday in Matignon, including the leaders of the Republicans (LR) to try to find an agreement on the immigration bill, rejected outright on Monday in the Assembly hemicycle, it was announced learned from consistent sources.
The Prime Minister, accompanied by the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin and the Minister responsible for Relations with Parliament Franck Riester, spoke with Éric Ciotti, Olivier Marleix and Bruno Retailleau, respectively president of the party, leader of the deputies and head of line of LR senators. She also spoke at 12:30 p.m. with the president of the group of senators of the centrist Union, Hervé Marseille, before receiving the leaders of the majority “in the middle of the afternoon”, said Matignon.
A sought-after ridge path
The executive is seeking a ridge path with the right in view of the next joint committee, which brings together seven deputies and seven senators and aims to find an agreement on this controversial text. The right is pleading to keep the Senate text as it stands, considerably tougher compared to that of the government.
But for the moment, the atmosphere with Eric Ciotti, who initiated the vote on the Republicans’ rejection motion, is frosty. “Basically, each article is subject to negotiation. Many parameters come into play and everyone observes what the other can offer,” explains an advisor.
The whole issue is therefore to know what the Republicans are ready to withdraw, while the latter intend to take advantage of their position of strength. The measure consisting of transforming State Medical Aid into emergency medical aid is mentioned but, for the rest, it is difficult to imagine many other concessions on the part of the right, which possibly suggests a agreement in committee.
On the other hand, a vote in the hemicycle would be very difficult to anticipate, because what the government gains on the right, it loses on the left of its majority which threatens not to vote for a text that is too repressive. “Everyone observes what the other can offer”, deciphers an advisor, while a participant assures him: “No one is stubborn, otherwise there is no point in discussing”. The two parties agreed to meet again on Thursday morning to continue the discussion.