More than ten years ago, on October 11, 2013, an official report titled “Reflections on the institutional future of New Caledonia” was submitted to the then Prime Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault. The authors, State Councillor Jean Courtial and jurist Ferdinand Mélin-Soucramanien, outlined four possible exits from the Nouméa Accord (1998-2021): perpetuated autonomy, extended autonomy, full sovereignty with partnership, and full sovereignty without partnership. Each option was explored and the potential political, social, and legal issues that could arise were examined in detail.
It is clear from the report that the most reasonable compromise solution is full sovereignty with partnership. This path allows the Kanak people to reclaim their sovereignty that has been alienated by colonization since France took possession of the archipelago in 1853. Recent events prove that the Kanak people will never abandon this demand. At the same time, the link with France is not severed but deeply renewed, now based on equality and respect rather than domination stemming from the colonial period.
In order for no inhabitant to feel abandoned, close and lasting relationships persist between the two sovereign states, such as dual nationality for those who wish. France continues to provide quality public services (doctors, teachers, magistrates) in exchange for the exercise of certain sovereign competences that New Caledonia freely chooses to entrust to it, such as defense or currency. This partnership can be enshrined in the constitutions of both countries. With intelligence, imagination, and political will, everything can be discussed and invented.
Completed decolonization exists in similar political models elsewhere, such as Monaco with France, Liechtenstein with Switzerland, or, closer to New Caledonia, the Federated States of Micronesia with the United States. In the face of China’s expansionist aspirations in the region, independence in a privileged partnership with France would likely be the best guarantee for the archipelago to avoid falling under Chinese control: Emmanuel Macron’s Indo-Pacific strategy could then be implemented in a peaceful context. Unlike the current situation where France is increasingly being criticized as a colonial power of a bygone era at regional and international levels.
