French President Emmanuel Macron will soon submit to French political party leaders a proposal to simplify the conditions for a referendum, with an eye on the highly sensitive issue of immigration.

In a letter addressed to the political leaders, Emmanuel Macron summarises the content of the talks he had with them during the August 30 meeting on overcoming the divisions and deadlocks resulting from the absence of an absolute government majority in the French National Assembly.

One of the issues discussed was the recourse to a referendum. Emmanuel Macron announced the presentation of a proposal “in the coming weeks” to broaden the scope of this tool, which could be used on the issue of immigration following a constitutional reform.

In his six-page letter, the French president acknowledges that the issue of immigration is the subject of well-known disagreements, but cannot be sidestepped. The immigration bill “will be debated in Parliament in the autumn” and then immigration could potentially be the subject of a referendum if there is agreement on a constitutional reform to amend the relevant regulations.

The integration of foreigners should also be addressed on two axes, housing and the policy of distributing new arrivals throughout French territory, the French president said in his letter.

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The immigration bill, which the French government has been seeking to pass for months, is becoming a sticking point for the government, which is squeezed between the right and the far right, which rejects the legalisation of undocumented migrants working in critical sectors affected by a shortage of workers, and the left, which considers it inevitable.

In an interview with Le Point magazine, Emmanuel Macron reiterates that he is seeking a”significant reduction in immigration”. As in all European countries, the issue is particularly sensitive for France, where immigrants make up 10% of the population (35% of whom have French citizenship), according to official figures, and where more than twenty immigration laws have been passed in the last 40 years.

In his letter to the political leaders, Emmanuel Macron also confirms the holding of the October “social conference” with the social partners dedicated to lower-than-minimum wages and assures that the roadmap for ecological planning will be presented to the political forces in September.