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It was a cordial meeting with few disagreements. That's how Saint-Barth senator Micheline Jacques describes her October 20 meeting with the new Minister for Overseas France, Naïma Moutchou. This tête-à-tête took place at a time when the bill to combat the high cost of living in overseas France, tabled by Manuel Valls under the Bayrou government, was the subject of intense debate in Parliament.
The text was adopted by the Senate on October 28. A few days earlier, on the 22nd, it had already been validated by the Upper House's Economic Affairs Committee. It must now be examined by the National Assembly. But the draft is disappointing and insufficient, according to elected representatives from the French overseas territories.
It's a series of small measures," grumbles Micheline Jacques, herself the rapporteur for a bill on the subject. It's not going to change the day-to-day lives of people in the French overseas departments and territories. "The senator deplores the fact that the bill only tackles the problem of the high cost of living from the angle of purchasing power, linked to the price of goods. "For example, why do lemons from Brazil have to pass through Rungis before being exported to French Guiana? "
"The government must be a companion".
So many issues discussed with Naïma Moutchou. "As far as I'm concerned, the government must be a companion, but the proposals must come from the territories," continues Micheline Jacques. The main point of disagreement between the two politicians was Article 1 of the bill, which provided for the removal of transport costs from the calculation of the resale loss threshold, enabling retailers to further reduce the price of their products.
An "aberration" for the senator. The Senate's Economic Affairs Committee, of which she is a member, removed this provision. As did the Upper House on October 28. "It would have meant the death of local shops, which would not have been able to adjust their prices," says Micheline Jacques. La Saint-Barth asserts: "This measure was populist. Instead of looking at the problem from all angles, we're looking for scapegoats. In this case, the distributors, who represent around 18,000 direct and indirect jobs in overseas France. "
Amendments to strengthen the text
Numerous amendments enabled the senators to rectify and strengthen the text. In particular, the quality-price shield has been extended to include a "country basket" for the purchase of locally-produced products. "I also tabled an amendment aimed at renegotiating prices between distributors and suppliers, which was accepted in the public session", informs the senator.
Micheline Jacques explains that the prices set by suppliers, often from France, include advertising and sponsorship costs that do not directly benefit the overseas distributor. These costs are then automatically passed on to the consumer in the price of the merchandise sold. The adoption of this amendment is a first step," says the satisfied senator. It allows us to take into account the specific characteristics of overseas territories, such as distance. "
Now that the anti-cost-of-living bill has been adopted by the Senate, the representative from Saint Barth has other deadlines in mind. These include the Social Security Financing Bill (PLFSS) for 2026, which is currently before the French National Assembly. "We need to leave ourselves some room for manoeuvre", she says. Because another subject, put on the table by the PLFSS, will require another battle by the elected representatives from the French overseas departments and territories: the reform of the Lodeom, with major cuts planned in the scheme by the government.
