Macron Evades Confronting Retailleau on Crisis with Algeria

French President Emmanuel Macron evaded meeting with his Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, as scheduled last Thursday, and this has been a hotly debated topic, as everyone was anticipating the outcome of this meeting regarding how to address the escalating political and diplomatic crisis with Algeria.

Bruno Retailleau was expected to present to the President of the Elysee Palace, as part of what he calls a “gradual response,” a series of escalating proposals, in an attempt to subjugate Algeria in the struggle over fabricated crises (the Boualem Sansal case, migrants, etc.). However, Macron refused to meet with him and tasked Prime Minister François Bayrou with addressing his concerns.

Macron’s refusal to receive his Interior Minister stems from two reasons, according to L’Opinion on Friday. The first is the content of an interview Retailleau gave to Valeurs Actuelles, in which he spoke of the end of “Macronism” after Emmanuel Macron’s departure, while asserting that he did not believe in it “at the same time.” He also attacked Macron’s policy toward Algeria in Le Figaro, in which he said that “the diplomacy of good intentions toward Algeria has failed.”

According to the same source, Macron’s anger with Retailleau was heightened by these statements, as they came from a member of the government appointed by the president himself. This led everyone to ask: “Who is speaking? A member of the government, the leader of the Republicans (right-wing party), or a presidential candidate for the 2027 elections?”

Emmanuel Macron asked François Bayrou to meet Bruno Retailleau to agree on the government’s position, particularly regarding the management of the crisis with Algeria, which is rapidly escalating to an unprecedented level between the two countries. Algeria has decided to revoke the privileges of French diplomats to travel to airports and ports, according to a Foreign Ministry statement on Saturday, July 26, 2025. This decision falls within the principle of reciprocity.

The cancelled meeting was preceded by sharp criticism from the French President of his Interior Minister during a cabinet meeting last Wednesday. Although Emmanuel Macron’s anger with Bruno Retailleau centred on the Interior Ministry’s failure to combat violence, this incident was merely the tip of the iceberg in the relationship between the two men, which has significantly impacted several issues within the Élysée Palace’s purview, including the management of the crisis with Algeria.

Other media reports indicated that Retailleau was preparing to use his meeting with the president to advance his agenda on how to manage the crisis with Algeria, exploiting the slackness of Macron’s camp and the decline of his party’s influence in parliament. This made the government’s collapse a likely outcome if there is any disagreement between the political parties forming the current fragile coalition, a development the lord of the Élysée Palace realised at the last minute.

France’s position on managing the crisis with Algeria is divided between two camps. The first, led by President Macron and Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, calls for the activation of a de-escalation zone. The second, led by Prime Minister François Bayrou and Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, calls for escalation based on a provocative logic. This has resulted in diplomatic defeats for Paris, borne by President Macron, as the primary authority responsible for foreign policy. This was evident in the failure of his efforts to secure the release of Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal and to reach a settlement regarding migrants who had been issued expulsion orders from France.

Voices on the far right believe that Bruno Retailleau’s negative behaviour, expressed in the form of provocations toward Algeria and criticism of Macron’s policy toward it, are a desperate attempt to cover up his failure to achieve the goals he set before and after joining the government, most notably his inability to deport dozens of Algerian immigrants outside diplomatic norms.

While awaiting a decision on Retailleau’s fate in the government, France’s position on Algeria remains torn between a power struggle among institutions. This struggle stems from the presidency’s inability to enforce its powers, which are now governed by considerations of managing the balance of power within a government coalition that has become a burden on the French state.