"To facilitate preservation of historic truth, the president of the republic has heard the requests of the university community on simplifying access to the classified archives that are over 50 years old," the Elysee Palace said in a statement.
The palace added that Macron allowed the archival services to begin declassifying documents related to national security starting Wednesday.
"This decision will significantly shorten the wait for the disclosure of documents related to the war in Algiers, in particular," the statement reads.
The Algerian War between the French government and supporters of Algerian independence lasted from 1954 to 1962 and was marked by widespread guerrilla warfare waged by the Algerian nationalist forces as well as a brutal counterinsurgency response mounted by the French.