Macron endorses repeal of Code Noir, opens debate on reparations for France's role in slave trade

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday endorsed the repeal of the Code Noir, 17th- and 18th-century royal decrees that regulated slavery in French colonies, and said the issue of reparations for France's role in the transatlantic slave trade must be addressed, while warning against "false promises."

Speaking at the Elysée Palace during a ceremony marking 25 years since France recognized slavery and the slave trade as crimes against humanity via the Taubira Law of 2001, Macron said the "immense question" of reparations should be addressed. "How to repair... is a question that must not be refused," Macron said. "It's also a question on which we must not make false promises."

"We must have the honesty to say that we can never fully repair this crime, because it's impossible. You will never be able to put a number on it, or find words that would bring this history to a close," Macron said.

Between 1551 and 1875, more than 1.38 million African people were transported to the Americas and the French Caribbean on French-flagged ships, representing 11% of the transatlantic slave trade, according to France's national library (BnF). France abolished slavery in 1848, but the Code Noir was never formally overturned.

Macron said the continued existence of the Code Noir was a "form of offence" and "a betrayal of what the Republic stands for." "That's why I am asking the government to take up the bill aimed at repealing the Code Noir," he said. On Wednesday, the National Assembly's law committee backed the bill; it now needs a vote in both houses.

Macron also announced an international research project with Ghana to study the long-term effects of slavery and provide "solid recommendations" to policymakers. "We must engage with honesty in dialogue and work to continue this path," he said.

In March 2026, Ghana brought a UN resolution describing the transatlantic slave trade as the "gravest crime against humanity" and calling for reparations; France abstained. Guadeloupean senator and former minister for overseas territories Victorien Lurel called France's abstention "a moral, historic, diplomatic and political mistake."

Macron is the first French president to publicly discuss the issue of reparations at the highest level of the state. He recalled that the Elysée Palace was built in the 18th century with money from the Crozat family, whose fortune came from the slave trade. Macron did not define the exact form of any potential reparations or offer a clear framework or timeline for national dialogue.