‘France can’t host everyone,’ Macron says, toughening migration stance

President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday said that France “cannot host everyone.” Last week, he signaled a tougher line on immigration in the second half of his mandate, arguing the government must stop voters drifting to the far-right, AFP reported.

“France cannot host everyone if it wants to host people well,” Macron told Europe 1. He noted France had seen a sharp increase in the numbers of people asking for asylum since the 2017 presidential election and said much tighter European cooperation was needed.

“There is not enough cooperation in Europe and we need to look at this migratory phenomenon and take decisions,” Macron said. The comments came as the French parliament is set next week for a major debate on migration policy.