“In New Caledonia, France must fully assume its duty of national solidarity” | EUROtoday

HASBeyond institutional points, the New Caledonian disaster finds its roots in deep, structural inequalities. On the Stone [surnom de la Nouvelle-Calédonie]social safety is a chimera compared with France. Absence of energetic solidarity revenue (RSA), 20% remaining cost for beneficiaries of medical assist within the South province – the place virtually three quarters of the inhabitants reside –, month-to-month minimal wage of round 1,200 euros web for thirty-nine hours per week [contre 1 443 euros net pour trente-cinq heures dans l’Hexagone]no exercise bonus for employees with modest incomes… Add to that the excessive price of residing, the nickel disaster, the after-effects of the riots of 2024 and price range cuts which hit probably the most precarious: the cocktail is explosive. In this context, social justice however stays the blind spot in discussions on the way forward for the territory.

After the abandonment of the anticipated citizen session on the Bougival settlement [signé le 12 juillet 2025 entre les représentants des différents partis politiques de la Nouvelle-Calédonie et l’Etat français]the invitation of New Caledonian political forces to the Elysée on January 16 opens a brand new sequence. The boycott of this assembly by the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS), introduced Tuesday January 13, nonetheless highlights the persistent fractures across the present course of. Beyond the compromises to be discovered on the institutional future, one other space of ​​negotiation additionally deserves to be explored in larger depth: what authentic compensation may New Caledonia acquire from the State within the occasion of remaining, lasting or transitional, inside the Republic?

By its geographical place, the extent of its maritime zone and its sources, New Caledonia represents a significant strategic asset for France within the Indo-Pacific. This actuality invitations us to qualify the concept of ​​a State confined to the function of impartial arbiter within the New Caledonian problem. Maintaining the third referendum [sur l’indépendance] in 2021, regardless of the request for postponement made on the time by the separatists, constitutes an enlightening ingredient. The frozen voters and the development of the sure vote for independence (43.33% in November 2018 then 46.74% in October 2020) certainly made a sure victory credible within the occasion of a subsequent vote.

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