ntroduction

France has been an immigration country for a long time. Always having hesitated between a policy of settlement and a labour force policy, it has had a highly specific policymaking path.

During the second half of the nineteenth century, a shortage of labour and prospective future soldiers prompted a call for foreign workers. The objective was to enhance the population and development of France, despite the public debates were focusing on the risks immigration posed to French identity. Issues related to immigration were treated in a rather pragmatic manner, with no coherent policy. They were dealt with in a very concrete way by employers and civil society organisations. A turning point occurred in 1974 when France decided to cease recruitment of a salaried labour force. Initially, this decision was meant to be temporary. It resulted in putting a stop to the mobility of foreigners between France and their country of origin and in defining a policy of integration that was led by the state but also involved various partners, such as municipalities and associations. In the 1980s, and especially with the rise of Jean-Marie Le Pen in 1983's local elections, immigration and integration became highly politicised. This happened relatively early in comparison with other countries. Immigration, once a matter of low politics, had become a matter of high politics – dealt with in genuine political debates. As Europe became a new actor in immigration policy and intellectuals got more and more involved, the debate on immigration took on a new scale. It led to the development of symbolic politics and short-term policies, along with growing gaps between the actual new immigration, various modes of living together and control policy. The revival of republican values, largely forgotten during Les Trente Glorieuses (the 30 so-called ‘glorious’ years between 1945 and 1974), also helped set the tone for how immigration matters would be framed.

When examining France's policymaking process, we must distinguish between immigration, policies of flows, integration and policies of stocks. Admittedly, these are sometimes linked. ‘Illegal migrants are an obstacle to those who are here’ is a slogan frequently used in political discourses to link the matters.