The elected representatives of the Congress of New Caledonia recorded on Thursday the creation of a special commission dedicated to examining the consequences of the “nickel pact” wanted by Bruno Le Maire to save the New Caledonian sector, which is causing tensions in the territory .
The creation of this commission takes a little further away the prospect of signing this pact negotiated for months by Bercy, while the sector is in crisis and the three metallurgical factories of the Caldonian archipelago, of which nickel is the main resource, record record losses.
Despite Bruno Le Maire’s call in March to sign the pact as is, the commission aims to formulate complementary or alternative proposals, according to the deliberation adopted Thursday by Congress.
There is a lack of clarity and precise answers to a certain number of questions, justified during the public session Pierre-Chanel Tutugoro, the president of the independentist group UC-FLNKS, adding that it was not a question of a commission to extinguish the pact.
Opponents of the pact
Also opposed to the pact, the representative of the non-independentist group Caldonie ensemble Philippe Goms asked to integrate discussions on nickel into political discussions on the future of the archipelago and asking for a strategic partnership on raw materials with the European Union.
Elected officials from the Loyalist and Rassemblement-LR groups opposed this commission, believing that urgent action is needed, that thousands of jobs are on the line, according to the words of Virginie Ruffenach, the president of the Rassemblement-LR group, during the debates.
Sonia Backs, the leader of the Loyalists, explained that this commission called into question the credibility of our institution. If we have to get everyone to agree, let’s put everyone back around the table, she said, believing that this commission means absolutely nothing.
Several hundred million euros in subsidies
The nickel pact presented by Bercy, although it includes several hundred million euros in state subsidies, also requires significant financial support from the Caldonian community with its blighted finances, as well as tax measures and reforms to the mining code. .
It causes strong dissension in New Caledonia. On Tuesday, three tribes from the Canala region (east coast) blocked mining sites to mark their opposition. A collective also blocked Kouaoua mining centers, not far from Canala, and set up filter dams around La Foa, according to Nouvelle-Caldonie La 1re.