The Senate's overseas delegation unanimously adopted an alarming information report on November 6 regarding the insufficient integration of French Caribbean territories into their regional space. In a context of increased competition with China and the United States, these departments and communities remain too dependent on Paris and Brussels. This situation contributes to the high cost of living and threatens their future, according to the Senate.
On November 6, the senators of the overseas delegation unanimously adopted an information report on the Atlantic overseas departments and communities, including French Guiana, the Antilles, and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. The document highlights the gap between the government's voluntarist statements and reality: called upon to exchange more with their regional space, these territories remain locked in a quasi-exclusive relationship with Paris and Brussels.
This situation, linked to the high cost of living, endangers their future, the Senate warns. The delegation had previously worked on the Indian Ocean territories and will continue its efforts in early 2026 on those in the Pacific.
« The Caribbean has become a highly sensitive geopolitical space again, and thanks to our overseas territories, France is present, stable, and credible in this region », emphasizes the co-rapporteur, LR Senator from Val-d’Oise, Jacqueline Eustache-Brinio.
Recent progress in cooperation has been recorded, such as the opening of a French embassy in Guyana, new security agreements, and a French international initiative against sargassum. Politically, « the reservations of regional organizations towards the integration of French American communities are fading, whereas they previously referred it to France's colonial history and its membership in the European community regime », the report notes.
This report bears witness to the persistent challenges for better regional integration of French overseas territories in the face of international competition.