French Exports to Algeria Plunge Amid Diplomatic Dispute

By Staff, Agencies

French exporters are losing access to the Algerian market as authorities in Algiers restrict imports from France amid an escalating diplomatic dispute, Le Monde reported on Friday.

French exports fell 34% year-on-year to €466 million ($515 million) in August and September, according to the newspaper, citing French customs figures.

Around 30 businesses and trade associations met with French government officials on November 6 to discuss the deteriorating trade relationship.

Exporters reportedly raised concerns over rejected import approvals in Algeria, declining orders, and uncertainty surrounding production facilities in France.

An industry representative told Le Monde that import requests for goods manufactured in France or shipped through French ports were being rejected.

One participant described the meeting as largely unproductive, saying government representatives offered little response beyond promising to continue dialogue with Algiers. Another person involved in bilateral relations characterized the restrictions as “an obvious boycott.”

Figures published on the French Foreign Ministry’s website and updated last week showed that bilateral trade declined 14.8% to €9.4 billion in 2025, while French exports fell 12%.

The ministry attributed the downturn to restrictions targeting French businesses and products, as well as lower hydrocarbon prices. Algeria remains France’s second-largest trading partner in Africa after Morocco, according to the ministry.

Algerian outlet TSA reported in September that the country was diversifying its economic partnerships and reducing imports to encourage domestic production. French exports of machinery, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and automobiles had all declined over the preceding year.

Relations between France and its former colony have been strained by unresolved grievances over 132 years of French colonial rule, which ended in 1962, as well as disputes over migration and security.

Tensions escalated in July 2024 after French President Emmanuel Macron endorsed Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty. Algeria subsequently withdrew its ambassador, accusing Paris of undermining the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination.

The two countries have since exchanged retaliatory measures, including the reciprocal expulsion of 12 diplomatic personnel in April 2025, following France’s detention of an Algerian consular employee over suspected involvement in the alleged abduction of government critic Amir Boukhors.

Algiers also scrapped a 2013 visa-waiver agreement covering diplomatic and service passport holders and ended the French Embassy’s free use of state-owned properties after Macron ordered tighter visa requirements for Algerian diplomats.