Minister Delegate for Overseas Territories continues his visit

Jean-François Carenco, Minister Delegate for Overseas Territories, was back in Saint-Martin on Monday after spending Sunday in Saint-Barthélemy. Summary of this second day of official visit on our territory.

The program was as intense as the one of last Saturday. Still accompanied by Vincent Berton, Delegate Prefect of the Northern Islands, and Louis Mussington, President of the Collectivity, the Minister Delegate began the morning at the Hôtel de la Collectivité where three long periods of exchange took place.

Republican welcome at the Hôtel de la Collectivité de Saint-Martin

A bilateral meeting was first held in the President’s office in the presence of the Minister and Vice President Alain Richardson on the theme of economic development. A more extensive exchange was then coordinated in the Executive Council room with members of parliament, excluding the press. Several priority issues were discussed: training, regional planning, the reform of the RSA and its dematerialization, taxation, urban renewal, the deployment of bilingual education, land, and public procurement. The Collectivité de Saint-Martin is requesting a total of 257 million euros in funding for, among other things, a public lighting network, a road network development plan, sports, and educational infrastructure, airport development, and waste management, which includes the collection of sargasso. At the end of these two moments of exchange, a third meeting took place this time in the room of the Territorial Council in the presence of all the elected officials, again without the press. The themes of the structuring of the agricultural and fishing sector as well as the limitation of fishing waters, the consumption of European funds, the situation of hospital workers suspended because they have not been vaccinated, the tax convention, and the 5-year residency rule, were discussed with the Minister. President Louis Mussington insisted on the necessary support from the State to help Saint-Martin develop certain sectors. On each subject, the Minister was open to the requests of the Collectivité, insisting on the need to put an action plan in place to move forward jointly, project by project.

Lunch at the Lycée Professionnel Daniella Jeffry

After a visit to the EDF power plant in Galisbay, which was particularly appreciated by the Minister Delegate for Overseas France, who was the President of the Energy Regulation Commission (CRE) from 2017 to 2022 green energy, lunch was prepared for the delegation at the Lycée Professionnel Daniella Jeffry for the students of the hotel section. Before going to the table, a moving tribute in three languages (French, English, Spanish) was paid to Samuel Pay, assassinated on October 16, 2020. The time of meditation was followed by an ode to freedom with the famous poem by Paul Éluard. A strong moment offered by students who deserve admiration and respect and which aroused deep emotion for Minister Carenco: “Exceptional tribute, it was to cry, it is my story, I will not say more. The officials then took place in the restaurant room for a working lunch on education and training of young people with the Rector of Guadeloupe, the Vice-Rector, the President of the Mission Locale and its director, and the person in charge of Pôle Emploi. What a great opportunity for these young people to cook and serve such a prestigious table. The menu was oriented towards Spanish cuisine which pleased the taste buds of the politician. For dessert, the Minister Delegate of Overseas France visited the carpentry workshop, chatting with the young people at work and the teaching staff.

Press conference

A press conference was held with the local press following this meeting. During this meeting, Jean-François Carenco praised the good functioning of an establishment such as the Lycée Professionnel Daniella Jeffry, even if it requires a renovation of the building, a fact underlined by Louis Mussington. Concerning the education dossier, the Minister recalled the importance of the construction of colleges 600 and 900 and wished to reflect on the situation of school children whose mother tongue is not French for better acclimatization. As for housing, an agreement will soon be established between the Collectivité, the State, Semsamar, and Action Logement. And finally, good news on a file that has been dragging on for many years, the slaughterhouse: “it was signed shortly before my arrival. The veterinary authorization has been issued and the first slaughter will take place this week,” announced Jean-François Carenco with confirmation from Vincent Berton.

Local Mission of Saint-Martin

The Minister Delegate met with the team of the Mission Locale, open since May 2022 and the latest addition to the family of local missions in France. He met with young people who will soon join the army, the RSMA being the main recruiter with a success rate of 70%. Since its creation, La Mission Locale de Saint-Martin, directed by Maggy Gumbs, has offered 750 young people from the territory training leading to a job. An exchange between the actors of the Mission Locale and the officials continued to discuss ways to reach out to the 2000 young people of Saint-Martin who are not in the training or employment circuit and to help support young companies.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Saint-Martin in Concordia

To conclude this day, Minister Delegate Carenco met with socio-professionals. Many issues were raised by the assembly: the support of St. Martin companies, the need to review the public order with the privilege of allotment with a clause for the promotion of local employment, the hotel tax exemption, the territorial continuity, and the development of the cultural sector, which is one of the concerns of Gerald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior and Overseas.

A summary of the last day of the official visit of Minister Delegate Jean-François Carenco in our next edition.

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