French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin visited Algiers on May 18, 2026, to restart operational judicial cooperation after a two-year freeze. Ségolène Royal, head of the France-Algérie association, welcomed the visit as overdue and called for an end to stigmatization of Algeria. She thanked President Tebboune for moving imprisoned French journalist Christophe Gleizes closer to Algiers but warned against politicizing his case. Royal criticized the previous French government, including former Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, President Macron, and Darmanin himself, for adopting a confrontational stance, and urged a diplomatic approach based on dialogue, respect, and joint solutions.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated in a Le Monde interview that Russia has been 'largely defeated' in Africa, citing its retreat from Kidal, Mali, and setbacks in Venezuela, Iran, and Syria. He argued that Russia offers only security-for-resources deals with no development contribution, while France maintains larger trade and investment in Africa. The withdrawal of Russia's Africa Corps from Kidal under rebel escort and the death of Mali's defense minister underscore the model's failure.

The French government has introduced the 'Ripost' bill, which would create a new criminal offense for organizing illegal free parties, punishable by up to two years in prison and a €30,000 fine. The bill, passed by the National Assembly and presented to the Senate on May 18, has drawn criticism from human rights groups who argue it focuses solely on repression without addressing prevention or harm reduction. The legislation follows a wave of unauthorized gatherings, with 337 reported in 2023, 326 in 2024, and 337 in 2025, including a recent event in the Cher department that prompted Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez to call for tougher penalties.

The Rassemblement National (RN) has proposed abolishing France's National Centre for Cinema (CNC), criticizing it for funding films it considers 'very woke, very militant'. In response, CNC president Gaëtan Bruel defended the institution, highlighting its role in supporting a 260,000-job industry, ensuring 90% of French live within 30 minutes of a cinema, and contributing to France's status as the third-largest box office globally. The debate underscores a clash over cultural funding and political direction in France.

Background: French President Macron had expressed hope for renewed ties with Algeria following a ministerial visit. Today, French Minister Delegate for the Armed Forces Alice Rufo, during an interview on the sidelines of Gérald Darmanin's visit to Algiers, stated that it is in the interest of both France and Algeria to maintain good relations. She discussed the relaunch of bilateral relations, security cooperation, and the deployment of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the Red Sea, clarifying its non-offensive posture. Rufo also addressed the cases of Boualem Sansal and Christophe Gleize, noting that Germany acted as a trusted third party for Sansal's release and that France is directly requesting Gleize's return without formal negotiations. She confirmed that security cooperation, including intelligence, defense, interior, and judicial matters, is being resumed, and that both Presidents Macron and Tebboune are committed to a functional dialogue.

The French Navy has outlined its strategy to increase the availability of its first-rank destroyers and frigates to 80%, primarily through dual-crewing of FREMM frigates and enhanced maintenance processes. Dual-crewing allows ships to increase sea days from 120 to 170-180 per year. The navy is also implementing data-centric maintenance approaches and close cooperation between the Fleet Support Service, the navy, and industry to optimize maintenance periods. This initiative aims to generate an output similar to having more than 15 ships, addressing the need for greater operational presence in the Euro-Atlantic security environment.

France has until June 7 to transpose an EU directive on pay transparency into national law. The directive requires companies to disclose average pay by gender for equal work, publish salary ranges in job ads, and prohibits asking candidates about previous salaries. HR professionals express anxiety about implementation, while the government has not yet scheduled parliamentary debate on the transposition bill.