Macron Ally Accuses Far-Right of Hypocrisy on Migration Policy

Benjamin Haddad, a close ally of French President Emmanuel Macron and minister for European affairs, has strongly criticized the far-right National Rally (RN) party over its stance on migration. In an interview with Politico, Haddad described RN leader Jordan Bardella’s position as hypocritical and called it “a big scam.”

Haddad argued that the RN previously opposed all European Union efforts to control migration, only to shift its stance when it became politically advantageous. He pointed out that former RN leader Marine Le Pen initially opposed the adoption of return laws for migrants but later voted in favor of them in the European Parliament. The RN also criticized the Return Directive, which gives countries more leeway to deport migrants, before eventually supporting its adoption.

The debate comes ten months before France’s presidential election, with migration emerging as a key campaign issue. The RN currently leads in opinion polls. Bardella, in his own Politico interview, blamed the EU for uncontrolled immigration and agreed with U.S. Vice President JD Vance that France has been overwhelmed by significant migration.

Haddad, who advocates for stricter EU Migration and Asylum Pact and Return Directive, emphasized that there is no nationalist solution to migration. He stated that France prefers assessing asylum seekers at the EU’s external border rather than setting up deportation centers outside the bloc, which remain the most controversial aspect of the directive. France has no plans to establish such centers, and Haddad framed the issue as one of efficiency, not ideology. He also noted that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whom Bardella seeks to emulate, has achieved results through EU cooperation.