French Polynesia, Walis and Futuna and especially New Caledonia are very worried.
Just three months after its formation, the French government has fallen. Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government was toppled by a motion of censure. The left and far right voted together. The President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, must find a new Prime Minister. The consequences are likely to be serious for the overseas territories in general and New Caledonia in particular.
Three million Ultramarines affected
Before the fall of the government, the Minister for Overseas France had declared that: “not having a budget means depriving New Caledonia of aid, depriving Martinique of a ‘cost of living’ protocol, depriving French Guiana of the retrocession of land (…) In concrete terms, it means depriving three million of our compatriots of a budget that is more than necessary to them”.
369 million Australian dollars in aid on hold!
New Caledonian elected representatives of all political persuasions are very worried. Aid worth 27 billion francs (A$369 million) was due to be voted after the motion of censure. This aid, which covers the year 2024, is essential for New Caledonia. Last May, riots destroyed a large part of New Caledonia’s economy (27% of GDP). Since then, the State has been paying the unemployment benefits of some 20,000 people.
On the whole, New Caledonian elected officials fear that elected officials in mainland France are forgetting about New Caledonia…
