[ISL] The French DOM-TOM and the EU
May. 23rd, 2005 02:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rfmcdonaldIt's not every day that the Wayampi people of French Guyana are cited as actors of world-historical importance. The Sunday Times of London has managed to do just that.
As the somewhat condescending article goes on to explain, the various French overseas territories--bordering the Caribbean, in the Indian and Pacific oceans, and elsewhere--will play an important role in the upcoming referendum on the European Union constitution. I noted last year in my essay on the situation in New Caledonia/Kanaky that the last of the overseas territories retained by France following the decolonization of the 1960s have been traditionally directly integrated into France. This has changed somewhat, as this website on language policy hosted by the University of Laval notes. (My translation follows.)
This decentralization aside, the DOM-TOM remain critical; for, like almost all dependent island territories, the local economies dependent critically on external subsidization. As The Telegraph reports, in a referendum likely to be closely fought the pro-constitution government of Chirac is pouring as much financial aid as it can into France's overseas territories.
In the 1992 referendum on the Maastricht Treaty, the strong "Yes" vote from the DOM-TOM ensured the treaty's acceptance by France. Will it work in 2005? Watch and see.
Among the Wayampi Indians it is not uncommon for children to give birth at 10 and become grandparents in their twenties. They hunt and fish in red loincloths. Their favourite food is smoked alligator. They are also among Europe’s most civic-minded citizens.
Britain has the Pitcairn islands and the Dutch have West Indian Curaçao, but these cannot compete with the impressive French portfolio of dominions around the globe from the Pacific to the Amazon jungle.
Their 1.4m voters could swing the result in the closely fought May 29 French referendum on the European Union’s constitution and determine the future of Europe, not to mention influence the timing of Tony Blair’s departure from No 10.
The Wayampi do not know him but excitement was building last week at the prospect of playing their part in the politics of the palan isi lena, or the "land of the white man", as Europe is known.
As the somewhat condescending article goes on to explain, the various French overseas territories--bordering the Caribbean, in the Indian and Pacific oceans, and elsewhere--will play an important role in the upcoming referendum on the European Union constitution. I noted last year in my essay on the situation in New Caledonia/Kanaky that the last of the overseas territories retained by France following the decolonization of the 1960s have been traditionally directly integrated into France. This has changed somewhat, as this website on language policy hosted by the University of Laval notes. (My translation follows.)
Since the constitutional reform of 2003, the status of the DOM-TOM has changed in France. The DOM have become DROM (for "Overseas Department and Region [French «Département et région d'outre-mer»]) and all of the TOM have disappeared but the Southern and Antarctic Lands, to make way for the COM (for "Overseas Collectivity" [French «Collectivité d'outre-mer»]). In this last category, one distinguishes the "Departmental Overseas Collectivity" [French «Collectivité d'outre-mer départementale»] of Mayotte and the "Overseas Territorial Collectivity" [French «Collectivité d'outre-mer territoriale»] of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon.
As for French Polynesia and New Caledonia, for now they hold the status of POM (for "Overseas Country" [French «Pays d'outre-mer»] within the Republic); French Polynesia is still an overseas collectivity, while New Caledonia has a provisional status of "Specific Collectivity" [French «collectivité spécifique»] while waiting for a local referendum to be held around 2014 to decide whether the territory should become independent or remain French.
This decentralization aside, the DOM-TOM remain critical; for, like almost all dependent island territories, the local economies dependent critically on external subsidization. As The Telegraph reports, in a referendum likely to be closely fought the pro-constitution government of Chirac is pouring as much financial aid as it can into France's overseas territories.
"There is a commonly held saying in the DOM-TOM: Tout s'achete' (everything has a price)," an official from France's overseas ministry said last night - a reference to EU aid.
"It is not bribery. Quite simply, we want them to be aware just how much they gain from the EU. The DOM-TOM are micro-economies that cannot survive without subsidies."
Since the beginning of the year, France's minister for European affairs, Claudie Haigneré, has been touring the DOM-TOM on a mission to "educate" overseas voters about how much they benefit from the EU.
"EU money is channelled into almost every aspect of life overseas," said Chantal Cransac, a ministry spokesman. "We want people to be aware of this, so that if they vote Non and lose out, they can't plead ignorance."
In one measure, residents of Martinique, and other departments and territories, have been offered free and subsidised transatlantic air tickets.
The scheme, which uses French government money, will offer students and those those on low incomes a subsidy worth €250 (£180) for a return flight, once a year, between Fort-de-France in the Caribbean and France.
In the 1992 referendum on the Maastricht Treaty, the strong "Yes" vote from the DOM-TOM ensured the treaty's acceptance by France. Will it work in 2005? Watch and see.
