The Council of State on Friday suspended the obligation for French people returning from abroad to assert "compelling" reasons, but maintained it for travel from or to the French West Indies. 

"The Council of State considers it disproportionate to require a compelling reason from the French who wish to return to France, because the impact of these trips is minor on the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic", he announced in a press release.

"To demand a compelling reason is a disproportionate attack on the fundamental right of all French people to access their country," added the highest court of the administrative order. 

>> Read also on France24.com: French expatriate seeks return to his homeland ... desperately

On the other hand, the Council of State maintains this obligation for travel from or to the French West Indies, considering that "it is justified by the desire to avoid the flow of tourists which could worsen the health situation on the spot" .

A rule valid for almost a month and a half

Since January 31, travelers from a country outside the European Union were banned from entering France, including the French.

They could only enter the territory if they could assert a "compelling" family, health or professional reason. 

On Thursday, the French Foreign Ministry relaxed certain measures for travel to and to seven countries outside the European Union, including Great Britain, given the already very heavy traffic of the British variant of Covid-19.

A petition was launched last month, in particular by the Collectif des Français d'Amérique du Nord and a dozen representatives of French people living abroad, to contest this measure. 

The petition cited an article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that "everyone has the right […] to return to his country". 

According to data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, some 2.5 million French people live abroad, nearly half of them in Europe and 20% in the Americas.

With AFP

The summary of the week

France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you!

Download the France 24 application

google-play-badge_FR