Invited this Wednesday morning on CNEWS's " L'Heure des Pros ," Éric Lombard had a tense exchange with Pascal Praud on immigration. The former Minister of the Economy refused to endorse the idea that there was "too much immigration" in France , while acknowledging the need to better control entries and to carry out more deportations.
Pascal Praud directly challenged him: "Tell me, you do agree that there is too much immigration in France, right?" Éric Lombard replied in the negative, stating that "France has always been a country of immigration." He particularly emphasized the protection of the right to asylum, which he described as "the honor of the Republic."
"A republican balance"
Éric Lombard does not deny the system's shortcomings. He identifies three priorities: protecting the right to asylum, better controlling entry into the country, and returning undocumented migrants. According to him, this approach should restore a "republican balance."
Facing him, Pascal Praud argued that the right to asylum was currently being "misused," specifically mentioning a supposed increase in the number of applications accepted by the OFPRA (French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons). Éric Lombard responded by pointing out that the rules are now largely regulated at the European level and have already been tightened.
The exchange highlighted above all a difference in diagnosis: where Pascal Praud speaks of an excess of immigration, Éric Lombard prefers to speak of dysfunctions to be corrected without calling into question the very principle of reception and the right of asylum.
