France: Govt to end state of emergency after 8 months

“We had to prolong the state of emergency until we could be sure that the law gives us the means to counter the terrorist threat effectively,” he said in a traditional Bastille Day television interview.

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The new law “will give us the tools which, while not comparable with the state of emergency, give us the means to keep tabs on certain individuals administratively,” he added.

“We can’t prolong the state of emergency forever. That would make no sense, it would mean that we were no longer a republic with laws which can apply in all circumstances,” he said, while acknowledging that the threat “remains there.”

Hollande declared the state of emergency on the evening of the November 13 attacks, which killed 130 people. It was prolonged three times by parliament, notably to include the Euro-2016 football tournament and the Tour de France cycle race.