Macron Calls for National Reckoning on France’s Slave-Trade Legacy

On 21 May 2026, President Emmanuel Macron marked the 25th anniversary of France’s 2001 law classifying the slave trade as a crime against humanity. In a speech at the Élysée Palace he said reparations for France’s role in the transatlantic slave trade must be addressed, warned against false promises, endorsed a symbolic repeal of the Code Noir, and announced a joint Ghana-France research project to advise policymakers.

France 24RFI (Radio France Internationale)Macron endorses repeal of France’s colonial slavery lawsMacron endorses repeal of France’s colonial slavery laws, announces joint research with GhanaThe Guardian

France was the third-largest European slave trader after Britain and Portugal. From the 16th to the 19th centuries French ships forced roughly 13 % of the estimated 13-17 million Africans across the Atlantic—about 1.38 million people—a figure also reported as 11 % of 12.5 million. The 17th- and 18th-century Code Noir codified colonial slavery but was never formally revoked after abolition in 1848.

RFI (Radio France Internationale)

The debate rises as parties gain ground before 2027 election and Martinique, Guadeloupe, Réunion, Mayotte and French Guiana report disparities in employment and health linked to slave-trade legacy. Haiti has renewed claims for billions of euros reparations for a 1825 debt repaid in 1947, while France’s UN abstention on a resolution condemning slave trade drew criticism.

The Guardian

Macron called reparations an “immense” question that “must not be refused” and stressed that the crime cannot be fully repaired. He described the surviving Code Noir as a “form of offence” and a “betrayal of what the Republic stands for,” urging its repeal. He also pledged a Ghana-France research commission and a Franco-Haitian reparations panel, created in 2025, with reports due by the end of 2026.

Macron endorses repeal of France’s colonial slavery laws

Descendants of enslaved Africans, led by Dieudonné Boutrin of the International Federation of Descendants of the History of Slavery, and Pierre Guillon de Princé wrote to Macron urging a dialogue to “restore trust… and heal the psychological wounds” of communities of colour. Guadeloupean senator Victorien Lurel called France’s UN abstention “a moral, historic, diplomatic and political mistake.” Caribbean activists demand concrete reparations and a clear national framework. Published figures differ: one source cites 13 % of 13-17 million enslaved persons, another gives 11 % of 12.5 million, and no detailed reparations plan has been released.

The Guardian

• “How to repair … is a question that must not be refused,” — Emmanuel Macron, President of France

The Guardian

• “It’s also a question on which we must not make false promises.” — Emmanuel Macron, President of France

The Guardian

• “We must have the honesty to say that we can never fully repair this crime, because it is impossible. You will never one day be able to put a number on it, or find words that would bring this history to a close.” — Emmanuel Macron, President of France

The Guardian

• “a moral, historic, diplomatic and political mistake” — Victorien Lurel, Senator (Guadeloupe)

RFI (Radio France Internationale)

The Code Noir repeal bill now proceeds to votes in both houses. Ghana’s research findings and the Franco-Haitian reparations report are due by the end of 2026, setting the stage for a formal national dialogue on reparative justice before the 2027 election.

Macron endorses repeal of France’s colonial slavery laws