Aurélien Fleurot 9:48 a.m., August 25, 2022
For the first time since 2017, Emmanuel Macron is going to Algeria for a three-day visit.
According to his entourage, the French president "has chosen to direct this visit towards the future".
He will therefore discuss economic partnerships between Paris and Algiers with his counterpart, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
Almost four years after his last visit, Emmanuel Macron is in Algeria for three days.
This trip will be an opportunity for the Head of State to turn the page on tensions with Algiers and to discuss economic partnerships with his counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
Because Algeria is one of the ten gas producers in the world.
A coveted resource since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Negotiations that take time
According to the latest figures, in 2021, 8% of the gas imported into France came from Algeria.
This is far behind Norway's 36%.
But, since it is necessary to replace the 17% which came from Russia, this trip by Emmanuel Macron will be important in trying to increase the share of Algerian gas, explains Francis Perrin, research director at IRIS.
"This can contribute to developing a dynamic that has already been driven by the two gas and energy companies of Sonatrach for Algeria, Engie for France. But negotiations of this type take time because the stakes are very high" , he underlines on Europe 1.
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It takes time and France is not ahead.
Many countries are looking for alternatives to Russian gas.
And, Italy, for example, which maintains good diplomatic relations with Algeria, has already signed a contract to increase by 110% the volumes initially planned between the two countries.
China has become Algeria's leading supplier
But, beyond the question of gas, how are trade between the two countries going?
France is no longer Algeria's leading supplier, it is now China.
There are still areas where economic ties are important, such as agriculture.
But the trend has clearly been downward in recent years, recalls Jacques Percebois, director of Crédoc, the energy saving research center.
"It's a market that has lost a lot of importance. For military equipment, Algeria calls on Russia. For political reasons, Algeria did not want to appear as the preserve of France", explains he on Europe 1. And if diplomatic relations improve, France could hope to exceed its current level, which has fallen to 10% market share in Algeria.