Français
The first thing to say to the most worried is this: no, there was no question of calling into question the institutional status of Saint-Barthélemy at the dinner held on Tuesday September 30 at the Élysée Palace in Paris. On the other hand, the topic of discussion at this meeting between the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and elected representatives and members of parliament from the French overseas territories was the institutional future of these territories. Saint-Barthélemy was represented by three elected representatives: Xavier Lédée, President of the Collectivité territoriale, Senator Micheline Jacques and Deputy Frantz Gumbs.
During the dinner, a number of elected representatives were invited to speak about the situation in their territory and their ambitions for it. For his part, Xavier Lédée "recalled the strength of the Saint-Barthélemy model, based on local freedom and private enterprise as well as its autonomous status, which has enabled the emergence of a single local authority that acts efficiently, responsibly and pragmatically". He adds: "Among other major issues for the island, I made a point of mentioning the project to rebuild the Saint-Barthélemy hospital, the renewal of EDF's power plant engines, and the need to move forward more quickly on the validation of our energy model (PPE). "
Michel Magras' seminal work
Micheline Jacques, President of the French Senate Delegation for Overseas France, insisted that "the time has come for a paradigm shift in the relationship between the State and overseas France". The senator declared: "The debate on autonomy is sometimes excessively politicized and dramatized, but it is also urgent to dispassionate it, because tackling the statuary issue is no more and no less than parrying the framework for public action. Funds are increasing, but the difficulties remain, so we need to change our approach. The lack of an overseas culture has led to a pile-up of standards and unsuitable policies that have stifled the development of the French overseas territories - with the exception of Saint-Barthélemy, which was able to adapt very early on to its local particularities. Since departmentalization, parliamentarians and local executives have tirelessly deplored the delays. To break this deadlock, the adaptation of standards must be the keystone of overseas policies, in line with the principle of subsidiarity. "In her speech, Micheline Jacques paid tribute to the work carried out by her predecessor, Michel Magras, whose seminal writings on statutory differentiation "were seminal". She also insisted on the fact that "moderating the 'cost of living', a challenge at the heart of the preoccupations of many overseasoccupations of many people living in the French overseas departments and territories, also requires standards that do not contribute to higher costs, which can be achieved through a more appropriate institutional framework".
Although he did not speak during the dinner, MP Frantz Gumbs listened attentively to all his peers. All the overseas territories were able to express their vision of the future," he assures us. There are extremely varied demands. For example, French Guiana is ready to make significant changes, as is Martinique. There's a consensual spirit among the Martiniquais. This is not the case for all territories. La Réunion, for example, does not have the same desire to evolve. Nor does Mayotte, which wants the urgent matters of the moment to be resolved first. "
The deputy confirms that the President of the Republic has said he is ready to take into consideration the development proposals expressed. And that he would do so by the end of the year. To this end, Emmanuel Macron has announced the creation of working groups dedicated to institutional developments.
