The French Ministry of Agriculture confirmed that the popular Algerian chocolate spread “El Morjane“, which has gained significant popularity on social media in France, is banned in the European Union. The ministry clarified that an investigation is currently underway to determine why this product continues to be available in the French market. The ministry also pointed out that “since Algeria does not meet all the necessary conditions” to export products containing dairy derivatives for human consumption to the EU, as per European animal health and food safety requirements, the import of this product is “not allowed under the current regulatory framework.” This comes after a major French retail chain announced plans to offer “El Morjane” products, produced by the Algerian company “Cibon,” in its stores within two to four weeks. The French Ministry of Agriculture has opened an investigation “to determine the mechanisms of circumvention that may have allowed this product to enter the local market.”
The El Morjane chocolate spread has received extensive media coverage in France, especially given its popularity through social media influencers. However, the dispute between France and Algeria extends beyond the ban on this chocolate entering the French market. The conflict has deeper roots spanning many years, and this relatively minor issue may evolve into a new diplomatic crisis between the two nations.
About a month ago, a new strain on Franco-Algerian relations emerged when the French government announced its support for “Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Western Sahara region under Moroccan sovereignty.” This decision came as a surprise, bringing the two countries back to a point of diplomatic rupture. Since the diplomatic crisis ignited by the French General Directorate for External Security’s involvement in smuggling a wanted individual out of Algeria in February 2023, relations between the two nations had gradually stabilized, with discussions about an anticipated visit by the Algerian president to Paris in the fall of this year.
The stability and “calming” of relations between the two countries had become apparent, as evidenced by the meetings of the “Algerian-French Joint Committee on Memory and History,” the last of which was held in May in Algiers, reflecting the agreements made between Presidents Tebboune and Macron during the latter’s visit to Algeria in August 2022. According to the French Treasury’s official report on May 15, 2024, relations between the two countries were progressing steadily, with trade volume increasing by 5.3% in 2023, amounting to €11.8 billion compared to €11.2 billion in 2022. However, France’s decision on the Western Sahara issue caused a new setback in bilateral relations.
Algeria expressed “strong condemnation” of the French government’s decision to support Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara. The Algerian Foreign Ministry warned France that its decision was contrary to the “supreme interest” of peace, security, and stability in the region. France had informed Algeria of its decision to support Morocco’s plan for Western Sahara, which the Polisario Front seeks to make an independent republic, with Algeria being a strong backer of the movement and hosting some of its leaders. In a statement, the Algerian Foreign Ministry said, “The Algerian government has taken note, with great regret and strong condemnation, of the unexpected, ill-considered, and pointless decision of the French government to offer unambiguous support to Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Western Sahara region under Moroccan sovereignty.” The statement added that “France’s decision results from dubious political calculations, unethical assumptions, and legal interpretations lacking any sound basis.” Algeria criticized the French decision, arguing that it not only “fails to foster the conditions necessary” for a peaceful resolution to the Western Sahara issue but also actively contributes to “exacerbating the deadlock and stagnation” caused by Morocco’s autonomy plan, which has been in place for more than 17 years. The Algerian Foreign Ministry accused France of “contradicting and undermining” the “goodwill efforts” of the United Nations to revitalize the search for a political solution to the Western Sahara conflict.
In May, Algeria submitted a list of properties held by France since the colonial era as part of efforts to reclaim them within the framework of the Joint Memory Committee, which aims to address that historical period. The Algerian statement noted that “the Algerian committee presented an open list of historically significant Algerian properties, preserved in various French institutions, proposed for symbolic restitution to Algeria.” The statement further indicated that the Algerian committee called on its French counterpart to escalate these concerns to President Emmanuel Macron, seeking the return of cultural artifacts, archives, and other listed items. The French committee unanimously agreed to this request and pledged to submit it to the French president for the repatriation of these properties to Algeria as soon as possible.
The joint committee, in its February meeting in Paris, agreed to the restitution of all properties symbolizing state sovereignty related to Emir Abdelkader Ibn Muhieddine (1808–1883), regarded by Algerians as the founder of the modern state and a hero of the resistance against French colonialism. On the anniversary of the May 8, 1945 massacres, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune reiterated that the memory file between Algeria and its former colonizer, France, “cannot be compromised or negotiated” and must be addressed boldly to restore trust between the two countries. France had previously returned the remains of 24 resistance fighters who were killed at the onset of the French colonization of Algeria, which lasted 132 years, from 1830 to 1962. However, Algeria continues to demand the repatriation of “skulls held in museums” for reburial. In late March, the French National Assembly approved a resolution condemning the October 17, 1961, massacre in Paris, where Algerian protesters were killed by police, a move Algerian President Tebboune hailed as a “positive step.”
All publishing rights and copyrights reserved to MENA Research Center.
