Michel Barnier calls for non-EU immigration into France to be suspended for up to five years

Michel Barnier has called for all non-European Union immigration into France to be banned for up to five years. 

The EU’s former Brexit negotiator said immigration was “not working”  in what is seen as a pitch to lead the centre-Right Republicains into next year’s presidential elections. 

“I think that effectively we need to take some time, between three to five years, and suspend immigration,” he said in comments aimed at sapping support from rival candidate Marine Le Pen. 

“I’m not talking about students, I’m not talking about refugees who must be treated with humanity and strength. But we need to rebuild the whole process,” he told French television.

Mr Barnier has previously warned that France could follow the UK out of the EU amid “social unrest and anger” over immigration and Europe’s failure to defend its borders. 

He said Paris should hold talks with its EU allies about how to strengthen the bloc’s border controls and about the passport-free Schengen Zone. 

“The problems with immigration are not moderate ...We need to talk to our neighbours about the Schengen Agreement, we possibly need to put in stricter border controls,” Mr Barnier said. 

Mr Barnier criticised Nigel Farage for his use of immigration in the Brexit referendum campaign in his recently published diary of the negotiations. 

"Extraordinary. The impact of Brexit is only just beginning," Mr Farage told The Telegraph.

"Immigration has delivered Brexit and destroyed the Labour Party. Barnier sees the electoral opportunity and he is right."

He added: "My agenda looks moderate compared to the new Barnier. What a dreadful bunch of careerists they all are."

Emmanuel Macron is expected to win the elections but the Eurosceptic and anti-immigrant Ms Le Pen is expected to reach the second round of the vote and increase her support. 

Mr Barnier stopped short of calling for reform of the bloc’s freedom of movement rules but his comments are the latest sign of a further hardening of attitudes on migration across Europe, despite migrant arrivals being far lower than at the height of the 2015 crisis. 

The Italian government on Tuesday denied reports that it would ask the European Union to pay Libya to stop migrant boats leaving its coast. 

Some 13,000 migrants disembarked on Italy's coasts from the start of 2021 to May 10, up from 4,184 in the same period last year, according to interior ministry data. 

A government spokesman denied that prime minister Mario Draghi would put the plan – similar to the controversial EU-Turkey migrant deal – to his fellow leaders at a Brussels summit on May 24-25. 

Since the 2016 deal, Turkey is entitled to financial aid from Brussels in exchange for hosting refugees – mostly from Syria – who try to reach Europe. 

EU officials said that the situation in Libya and Turkey could not be compared because the situation on the ground in the two countries were totally different. 

The EU has paid about €700m to support Libya, with roughly half going to support refugees and migrants. 

The report came after a recent surge in migrant flows from Libya to Italy. The Italian island of Lampedusa – one of the main landing points for people trying to get into Europe from Africa – has seen over 2,000 arrivals since Sunday.

Up to 70,000 more migrants and refugees are hoping to take advantage of calm seas and good weather to cross the Mediterranean, according to a report in Corriere della Sera, the Italian newspaper. The number was attributed to Italian intelligence agencies, but it could not immediately be verified.

Humanitarian organisations say there are at least 500,000 refugees and migrants in Libya, many of them from sub-Saharan Africa. So far this year, around 13,000 asylum seekers have reached Italian shores.

In 2019, Rome agreed a plan with other European states to redistribute migrants after they arrived, but the scheme was voluntary and has not provided a stable solution. Since 2018, just 1,273 people have been relocated to other member states from Italy. 

The migration issue divides European governments and has fuelled the rise of anti-immigration parties across the continent. In Italy, the right-wing League is part of Draghi's national unity government and is pressing him to take action.