GETTY Sarkozy has vowed to use 'common sense' in the light of the migration crisis

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The right-wing politician was speaking ahead of next year’s presidential election where he said the problem had to be tackled. The former president said: “My aim is to bring back authority and defend the French Republic.” Mr Sarkozy said that the current situation in France was “deeply grave” and that his country needed someone experienced, energetic, determined, and with authority to help it get back on its feet. Mr Sarkozy, whose decision to run in next year's presidential election was announced on Monday, is known for his unyielding stance on immigration, and has made his intention to stop the tide coming into France very clear.

In an interview with Le Figaro yesterday, he said: “If I am named president, France will renegotiate Article 8 of the European Court of Human Rights, which deals with family reunification. ”We need to use our common sense and interpret the rules in light of the current migrant crisis. “Family reunification was established back in 1976, at a time when there was little unemployment and people had no difficulty integrating into society. “Things have changed. France must suspend this right until the EU comes up with a solid immigration policy for all member states, and does more to protect its border.” The Republic, he said, must be more demanding when dealing with migrants who come to France in a bid to be granted French citizenship, which allows them to claim state benefits.

GETTY Sarkozy is known for his unyielding approach on immigration

A foreigner should only have access to social benefits after he has lived in the country for more than five years Sarkozy

He said: “A foreigner should only have access to social benefits after he has lived in the country for more than five years. “And it should take 10, not five years to become a naturalised French citizen.” Moreover, being French means having a “language, a history, and a way of life in common,” said Mr Sarkozy.

GETTY More than 9,000 migrants are currently camping in the Calais Jungle

He added: “School children need to learn how to speak French first, other languages can come after.” If a foreigner does not integrate himself into society, he will not be granted French citizenship, he warned: “People cannot say ‘I want to be French, but in my own way’.” The former head of state reiterated his intention to revoke birthright citizenship if a person born in France to foreign parents has a criminal record by the age of 18, and if his parents were illegal immigrants at the time of his birth.

GETTY Sarkozy said that wearing the burkini is 'a radical, political gesture'