French MPs, Senators Still Believe In French-Algeria Dream

Result of the parliamentary term of the French Parliament, which is close to the end on June, reflects deep roots of the French-Algerian current and a great nostalgia for that period for the French MPs, either from the National Assembly (the First Chamber of Parliament) or the Senate, through the questions that are related to memory, Harkis, and pieds-noirs and their property, war veterans and the situation of Christian and Jewish cemeteries that are directed to the French government.

French Parliament with its two chambers, will complete its current term by submitting 1,380 questions about Algeria from June,20, 2012, the date of the start of the term, until now, because these questions were suspended since the end of last April, as the issues of Harkis, Pieds-noirs and war veterans took the lion’s share, and what is striking is the French government’s eagerness to respond to questions that are related to Algeria, as the response rate in 5 years reached 95%.

Number of questions that were raised by the Senators of France concerning issues related to Algeria was 217, and they are distributed between the Harki cases, compensation and rehabilitation, and the pieds-noirs and property files, that they left in Algeria and compensation for them, and even the demand of the French government to recover them.

Files such as Christian and Jewish-French cemeteries in Algeria, and others related to the fight against terrorism and mobility between the two countries, archive and other questions are highlighted as well.

What is remarkable about the questions that are posed by the French senators, as noted by Echorouk, is the keenness of the French government to respond to questions that are related to Algeria, as it is clear that the French government responded to about 95% of the accountability of the senators, reflecting the great interest and sensitivity that surrounds the Algeria related files, especially those that mean aspects of common memory between the two countries, and of the 2017 questions, the government responded through its various ministries on 205 questions.

The situation was not very different in the French National Assembly (Chamber I), which had the largest share of the Algeria related questions, which reached 1,164 questions during the period of validity, most of which were concerned to the files of memory (pieds noirs, war veterans, Christian and Jewish cemeteries, etc.).

Of the 1,164 questions that are asked by MPs of the French National Assembly on Algeria related issues, the government responded to almost all of them. The government’s responses reached 1129, bringing the overall response rate to 97%, which also reflects the interest of Paris on Algeria related files and its sensitivity at home.

In addition to the questions, the senators and deputies of France presented about 10 bills (proposals) relating to Algeria and the colonial period, except one or two relating to post-independence issues, including the glorification and rehabilitation, harkis and the dignity of the war veterans.