The French government has signaled a fresh willingness to tackle long-standing demands for greater local control in French Guiana, while also addressing economic pressures across overseas territories.
French Guiana’s long-held dream of greater self-governance may finally be gathering momentum, as Overseas Minister Manuel Valls promised on Monday to open negotiations on autonomy in the coming weeks – a move that local leaders hope will bring laws better tailored to their region’s unique challenges and opportunities.
Speaking in Cayenne at the headquarters of the French Guiana Territorial Collective (CTG), Valls announced that he would host a delegation of elected officials in early July to lay the groundwork for meaningful talks on statutory change.
A follow-up meeting is also scheduled at the Élysée Palace later that month, where President Emmanuel Macron himself is expected to weigh in on the project.
“I want to meet with you in the first half of July to discuss all the issues facing French Guiana,” Valls told local leaders, acknowledging the community’s growing frustration with rules handed down from Paris and Brussels that often fail to reflect on-the-ground realities in this vast Amazonian territory.
Local media outlet France Guyane posted on X, "the former prime minister [Valls] was welcomed to the CTG as part of his parliamentary mission on statutory developments."
Push for land reform
French Guiana’s push for autonomy isn't new, but the latest plan has been carefully refined over several consultations in 2023 and 2024.
The proposal outlines transferring key powers in areas like planning, transport, agriculture, and natural resource management to a future autonomous government.
Security and regional cooperation would, however, remain shared responsibilities with the French State.
Perhaps most pressing for many Guianese is the control of land. Over 90 percent of the territory is still owned by the French State – a situation local leaders argue is a major barrier to sustainable development and local empowerment.
Independent MP Jean-Victor Castor did not mince his words: “We want local regulatory power because the rules from Brussels and Paris are ineffective.”
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'Winning over' French lawmakers
Valls struck a cautiously optimistic tone, praising the depth and coherence of the local proposal but reminding the assembled officials of the significant hurdles ahead.
“I am familiar with your project. It is backed by a well-thought-out plan and economic and social guidelines,” he said. “But it is far from easy to amend the Constitution. We will have to convince the parliamentarians and the President – he alone can truly kick-start a constitutional revision.”
Interim CTG president Jean-Paul Fereira urged his colleagues to prepare thoroughly, saying the territory must present its strongest case if it hopes to win over the President and national lawmakers.
While autonomy remains the headline goal, local leaders hope the process will also reinvigorate the territory’s economy and tackle long-standing social inequalities.
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Martinique in the spotlight
Meanwhile, in the French Caribbean territory of Martinique, a related sense of empowerment is taking root.
On Friday, the island hosted a popular forum to tackle the crippling high cost of living – an issue that has sparked protests across the French Caribbean in recent years.
Several overseas MPs, experts and community leaders gathered in Rivière-Salée to develop concrete proposals for a new bill that Minister Valls is expected to present to the National Assembly in September.
The Martinique MPs behind the initiative want to ensure that the final legislation has real teeth, addressing price mark-ups that leave basic goods up to 40 percent more expensive than in mainland France.
By pooling expertise from across the overseas territories, they hope to secure fairer prices and stronger economic protection for island communities long burdened by high costs.
