Emmanuel Macron gathered, Friday, September 8, the separatists and loyalists of New Caledonia at the Élysée Palace to “take stock” in the negotiations on the future status of the archipelago. The two camps had already been received on Wednesday at Matignon. However, they had not exchanged directly on the future of the archipelago since 2019. It was therefore their first meeting since the disputed referendum of December 12, 2021 won by the “no” to independence, but boycotted by the independentists. It is necessary to “build in consensus and respect for all a new project in the Republic”, said the Elysée in a press release.
Emmanuel Macron had already brought together independence and loyalist actors in July in Nouméa to try to reach a consensus with a view to constitutional reform. But some of the separatists, notably political representatives of the Caledonian Union (UC), did not participate in this meeting. The president then said he was “personally hurt” by their absence. This time, all the actors, including Gilbert Tyuienon and Mickaël Forrest of the Caledonian Union, were present at the meeting.
The government announced that it had put on the table a draft agreement described as “ambitious”, relating in particular to the institutional future of the archipelago, and the exercise of the “right to self-determination”. Among the subjects presented by the executive is also the construction of New Caledonian citizenship.
Discussions must also focus on the future of the nickel sector, a weakened economic pillar of the archipelago, even though Europe and France have enormous needs for it to manufacture automobile electric batteries.