Speeches

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, today we are voting on an amendment to the ERDF and ESF+ regulation in order to respond to natural disasters affecting Europe. While these adjustments are aimed at the countries of Central, Eastern and Southern Europe, it is crucial to recall that the French outermost regions are also suffering from such tragedies, which are amplified by climate change. Currently, the territory of Mayotte is facing an unprecedented hurricane crisis. Faced with cyclones and floods, this territory embodies the climate vulnerability recognized by the Paris Agreements. It is time to move from a repair logic to a proactive approach by sustainably supporting these regions and creating climate labs of excellence. These research hubs dedicated to understanding and innovation would offer concrete solutions to global challenges. I call on the Commission to recognise the ORs as laboratories for climate solutions for the future.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, food autonomy overseas must no longer be a vain word, but a vital necessity. The European Farm to Fork Strategy is not adapted to our island realities. It would rather assume that people are fed while starving those who cultivate. We cannot continue to import 80% of our food while being subject to standards that suffocate our local producers. We must develop a sustainable agriculture, rooted in our terroirs, responding to our needs, like the localism that we have been defending for years. Europe must allow us to value our local resources and support food self-sufficiency instead of imposing a model that condemns us to dependence. It is the fundamental principle of all moral laws and duties of a society. Our fertile overseas lands could also make us sovereign and self-sufficient. It is time to transform our vision of food autonomy into concrete actions for our territories.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to draw your attention to an initiative that could not only transform Guadeloupe, but also serve as a model for many European regions in the context of territorial social innovation. Since 1946, departmentalisation has made it possible to assimilate, but policies that have simply been transposed from the national level have not been successful. It is crucial to adopt a new approach, more in line with the sociological reality and the needs of our societies. I propose that the Commission support the development of an experimental pilot project in Guadeloupe, based on innovative strategies for blue, green and orange cities. This initiative would be based on concrete tools for cities, such as the ‘Zero Unemployed Territory’ scheme, third-places or territorial economic cooperation hubs, in order to promote job creation while addressing the ecological and economic challenges facing our territories. This model could then be extended to other cities within the euro area, providing a concrete response to the global challenges we face. Let us live up to our ambitions.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, living dearly overseas is a glaring injustice that has plagued our regions for decades. Do you not currently see the cry of pain of the Martiniquais, who simply claim to be able to feed themselves? These events are the result of unfinished development and EU-imposed dependency. In a Europe that advocates social justice, 900 000 ultramarines live below the poverty line and with up to 60% higher prices for food. More than 55% of our citizens are forced to give up eating properly. How can we accept this in a Union that prides itself on social progress? Because of you, our territories are trapped in an expensive and unequal import system that you impose and which weighs heavily on the most vulnerable populations. Understand the feeling of discrimination suffered by our compatriots. We do not need charity but justice and equality. It is time to support economic strategies that are adapted to our territories.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, let me say clearly what many do not dare to say about the Amazon: The urgency is illegal gold mining, the urgency is deforestation, which will be amplified with the agreement of Mercosur that you support. These two scourges are destroying at a frightening rate the green lung of our planet, the Amazon, which dies every day a little more. This is not just an environmental or climate problem; it is also a health and security disaster that directly affects our country and in particular Guyana. Illegal gold mining devastates our forests, pollutes our rivers with mercury that ends up on our plates and endangers the lives of our fellow citizens. Protecting the Amazon is protecting our borders. Since 1990, the garimpeiros, real illegal looters, ruin our resources and devastate with impunity the Guyanese ecosystem, a French territory. Every year, between seven and ten tons of gold are illegally looted and thousands of hectares of forest are razed. These traffickings encourage illegal immigration and fuel criminal networks, prostitution and arms and drug trafficking. As for the Mercosur agreement, presented as a lever to stimulate trade with the countries of South America, it is a matter of deep hypocrisy. Indeed, this agreement threatens to facilitate the massive import of agricultural products, such as beef, resulting from practices destructive to ecosystems. While Europe wants to be a champion of sustainable development, it turns a blind eye to deforestation and violations of workers' rights in these partner countries. These agreements show a glaring discrepancy between this European discourse on the ecological transition and actions, leaving room for a purely mercantile logic to the detriment of climate commitments and social and environmental protection standards. It's a serious time. It is imperative that the European Commission takes firm action against this cross-border traffic and breaks with its globalist logic. So let us put an end to this hypocrisy of which you are the protagonists. As the saying goes: God laughs at men who complain about the consequences of which they cherish the causes.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, let me begin by expressing my deep support for the peoples of Europe who are facing devastating natural disasters. In recent years, the countries of Eastern Europe have been severely affected by floods which, unfortunately, are multiplying due to climate change. The human and economic losses are enormous, and each year these communities face an increasingly pressing threat. Rainfall intensity and frequency continue to increase, undermining often inadequate water management systems. In this critical situation, it is imperative for the European Union to stand by the countries concerned and help them step up their efforts to prevent and manage risks. However, Eastern Europe is not the only region suffering from climate change. France, like overseas departments such as the West Indies, French Guiana or Réunion, also regularly faces severe flooding, as in 2022, when storm Fiona took the life of one of our fellow citizens. In addition to material and human damage, these weather disturbances have major consequences on water quality overseas, thus depriving our compatriots of drinking water for several days or even weeks. Although the European Union has put in place support mechanisms to support the affected countries, it is often necessary to go a real fighter's way to get this assistance. Colleagues, let us commit ourselves to ensuring that excessive bureaucracy, red tape and exorbitant delays in obtaining funds do not become additional obstacles for disaster-stricken countries, but remain a truly effective emergency aid. At the National Gathering, we are ready for the challenge.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to draw your attention to a scourge affecting our compatriots overseas: water shortages. In 2024, some French departments, including Guadeloupe, Martinique and Mayotte, do not have full access to drinking water. In my territory, Guadeloupe, some households were deprived of water for 17 days in a generalized indifference. In Mayotte, more than half of the population is regularly deprived of drinking water. Worse still, some schools are being forced to close. Same observation in Martinique. Does the European Union intend constantly to help third countries without worrying about the compatriots of its Member States? How do you explain that the European Union, through the European Water Facility programme, is providing EUR 500 million to African and Caribbean countries to address these shortages? How can you constantly drape yourself with humanism when, at the same time, some contributors to your construction struggle to access the vital good that is water? We will never stop repeating it: ours before the others.