Civil rights groups have welcomed a decision by France’s immigration minister to scrap controversial DNA tests for residency-seekers wishing to reunite with their families in France.

In a statement released on Monday, French human rights group SOS Racisme welcomed Immigration Minister Eric Besson’s about turn on the measure, saying the “detestable chapter” on DNA tests for candidates seeking French residency under family reunification statutes was “definitively closed”.

Responding to Besson’s announcement, Jean-Pierre Dubois, head of French group The Human Rights League, also welcomed the latest moves to scrap a measure that was widely viewed as “scandalous and inappropriate”.

In an interview with the French radio station Europe 1 on Sunday, Besson said he would not sign the measure, declaring that it was too difficult to implement in time for the Dec. 31 deadline and that confidentiality issues remained. Besson also admitted that the measure damaged France’s image abroad.

“We could just give it up altogether, which is my preferred option, because in the end it serves no purpose other than to bring the image of France into disrepute,” said Besson.

The measure was approved by the French parliament in 2007 as a means to prevent residency-seekers from making fraudulent family ties. But it required the signature of the immigration minister and the move was strongly criticised by civil rights groups.

The original draft law, which was introduced by former French immigration minister Brice Hortefeux, also met with criticism across the political spectrum.

Concerns over implementation and confidentiality issues

 
Under the terms of the measure passed by parliament, DNA tests were approved for applications for visas of more than three months when there were doubts about an immigrant's birth or marriage certificates.

The move would have allowed officials to "propose" to applicants that they take a test at their own expense to prove a biological link with other family members.

But the logistics of carrying out the tests at French consulates were another reason for rejecting the law.

One of the issues was that French consulates are not staffed with doctors, raising the problem of properly administering the DNA tests.

Privacy concerns were another issue, with rights groups questioning whether the results of thousands of DNA tests could be kept confidential.