What are the priorities for the French Overseas Territories?
Foreign: A particularly complex and complicated situation
If global warming and its consequences are a visible part of the challenges facing foreign territories and sectors, especially through the increase in violence and the frequency of extreme climate events, The French Overseas Territories are in a situation that requires an adequate, specific and hyper-adapted response.
Indeed, insecurity, especially in Mayotte, is growing against a backdrop of poverty and unemployment. France has the highest unemployment rate among the overseas regions, at over 12%, compared to just over 10% in the worst departments of mainland France (and around 7% in France as a whole excluding Mayotte). A more complex situation, exacerbated by monopolies and criminal networks that dictate their laws.
Added to these social issues, obviously, are the inherent hardships of life in these remote areas, such as the cost of living, which is much higher than on the mainland. Not to mention the difficulties in accessing water for certain populations, difficulties that briefly made headlines in the French media in 2023.
How can we respond to these unique challenges?
To try to find an answer or answer to these unique difficulties, Le Point will bring foreign experts and political leaders around the table. Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior and Overseas Territories, along with Philippe Vigier, Ministerial Representative of the Overseas Territories, will be invited on 1er February 2024 at the Maison de Lausanne in Paris to discuss possible solutions.
Other guests will be present, such as Pauline Pennier, Secretary General of CNES (National Center for Space Studies), who will talk about Guyana and the Ariane 6 rocket. Olivier Serva, an MP from Guadeloupe, will discuss the need for planes to overseas territories at a time when air travel is increasingly criticized for environmental reasons.
Or, Michelin Jacques, senator from Saint-Barthélemy, an island plagued by difficulties in the supply of drinking water, will be present.
From 10 am to 5 pm, face-to-face and online, conferences will follow each other to discuss issues relevant to overseas territories.. The third edition of the day “Overseas at the forefront” will be broadcast on X and Le Point.fr, but also on the EconomieMatin Facebook page.