Political movements in New Caledonia have announced that they have reached an agreement on the creation of a new state that will have autonomy but will not gain full independence from France.
A compromise agreement between supporters and opponents of New Caledonian independence was reached on July 12 in Bugeval, a suburb of Paris.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the “historic deal,” which was negotiated over more than ten days. “The State of New Caledonia within the Republic: this is a vote of confidence… The time has come for respect, stability and the unification of goodwill to build a common future,” he wrote on social media.
The agreement provides that the inhabitants of New Caledonia will receive separate citizenship and will be able to hold two passports, according to the newspaper Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes. The new state will also be granted powers to conduct its own foreign policy, while France will undertake to assist in the economic development of New Caledonia.
Before the agreement on the new state comes into force, it must be approved by the French parliament and in a referendum in New Caledonia.
In May 2024, mass riots broke out in New Caledonia after the French parliament proposed changing the electoral system and granting French citizens living on the islands the right to vote in local elections. The indigenous population saw this as an attempt to weaken the movement for New Caledonian independence.
