Paris Targets Algerian Retirees in Renewed Crackdown on Overseas Pension Payments

✍️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada

France Cites “Fraud Risks” to Justify Heightened Surveillance, as Algerian Pensioners Decry Discriminatory Practices and Bureaucratic Harassment

Algiers, Algeria | May 28th, 2025 — In a controversial and highly scrutinized move, the French government has announced a new round of stringent oversight measures on pensions paid to retirees residing outside of France—with Algerian pensioners squarely in the crosshairs.

 

According to a recent report issued by the French Court of Auditors (Cour des comptes), France is said to be losing between €40 million and €80 million annually due to what it describes as “anomalies” or “fraudulent practices” in the distribution of pensions to beneficiaries abroad. The report explicitly singles out Algeria—home to the largest population of French pension recipients outside France—as a focal point of concern.

“Life Certificates” Under Direct Scrutiny

The report recommends that French authorities station civil servants at the French consulate in Algiers to conduct in-person verifications of life certificates—documents retirees must submit periodically to confirm they are still alive and eligible for pension payments.

Despite the use of digital platforms in recent years to facilitate this process, the French government now claims that digital methods are insufficient, and will return to traditional, manual procedures. Under the new directive, pensioners may be summoned to consulates for face-to-face identity verification. Failure to appear will automatically trigger suspension of pension disbursements.

These measures are expected to disproportionately impact elderly Algerian retirees, many of whom are frail or have limited access to consular services due to geographic or health-related constraints.

Rejected Parliamentary Amendment Signals Mixed Intentions

In February, a proposed amendment by far-right deputy Fabien Di Filippo to impose mandatory annual medical and legal checks on foreign retirees, including Algerians living in France, was struck down by the French National Assembly. Lawmakers deemed the measure excessive, potentially discriminatory, and administratively burdensome.

However, critics argue that despite shelving the amendment, the French government has found a backdoor mechanism to enforce similar surveillance through consular control and document verification—thus sidestepping legislative resistance while still advancing a policy that many view as thinly veiled xenophobia.

Associations Cry Foul: ‘Institutional Discrimination’

The proposed measures have ignited strong backlash from retiree associations and human rights groups in both France and Algeria, which accuse the French state of institutional discrimination and deliberate targeting of a vulnerable population.

“These retirees spent their lives contributing to the French economy. Subjecting them to disproportionate scrutiny now is not only unjust but inhumane,” declared a spokesperson from a Franco-Algerian pensioners’ association.

According to data cited by Econostream, a Mediterranean economic analysis site, a 2022 audit revealed that 30% of Algerian retirees over the age of 98 failed to respond to consular summons, leading to the suspension of their pensions—many without due process or consideration of extenuating circumstances.

Financial Pressure or Political Messaging?

The French government insists the measures are strictly fiscal and aim to curb “fraud” and ensure “accountability” in pension disbursement. However, critics see them as part of a broader political narrative aimed at appeasing anti-immigrant sentiment and reinforcing post-colonial power dynamics.

France currently disburses an estimated €87 million per month, or €1.53 billion annually, in retirement benefits to Algerian nationals. The average pension of €260 per month, though modest by European standards, represents a critical source of income for tens of thousands of elderly Algerians and their families.

Translated and adapted from El Ayem News:
https://elayem.news/27-05-25-13-045-barys-tsthdf-aljzairyyn-mjdda-btchdyd-alrqaba-ala-maachat-almtqaadyn-balkharj.html

 

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