Concrete decisions for better Franco-Dutch cooperation!

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The 4th quadripartite concertation meeting between Saint-Martin Sint Maarten, the Netherlands and France, was held in Paris on Thursday, June 28, in the presence of the President, Daniel Gibbs, the Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, Léona Marlin -Romeo, from the Minister of Overseas, Annick Girardin and the Prefect Anne Laubies, and the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Netherlands, Raymond Knops. The political sequence of the meeting was also held in the presence of the member for Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy, Claire Guion-Firmin, the senator for Saint-Martin, Guillaume Arnell and the vice-president of the Collectivity of Saint- Martin, Yawo Nyuiadzi. 

 

Driven by the common desire to strengthen North-South cooperation links, the participants defined three priority areas of cooperation previously identified by President Macron and Prime Minister Mark Rutte, on the sidelines of the European summit on November 17, 2017 in Gotebord. Namely, the reconstruction after Irma, the knowledge and control of flows and the fight against organized fraud.

On the traceability of goods, the parties undertake on a reciprocal basis to set up a mechanism for the periodic communication of import and export data processed in the territory of one of the parties but intended for the other . The parties have expressed the desire to move towards a new air transport agreement, currently governed by the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) of 1973 and 1986.

After the good words, make way for actions ...

In summary, substantive work will be undertaken in the context of the fight against illegal immigration. The two parties agree on the reciprocal presence of immigration officials at airports and on the study of the legal possibilities of an extension to port entry points (marinas and commercial ports). Police and judicial cooperation will also be strengthened, as will the exchange of information to combat fraud in social benefits. With regard to taxation, work will be done to prevent and eliminate situations of double taxation.

The national authorities have taken note of the proposal by the President of Saint-Martin shared by the Prime Minister of Sint-Maarten Léona Marlin-Roméo,

to create a "United Congress French and Dutch" which would be a forum for enhanced dialogue and coordination.

The President praised the involvement and voluntarism of the Prime Minister of Sint Maarten Mrs. Léona MARLIN-ROMEO in the creation of this innovative consultative body: “We are working together, in order to create the legal framework allowing us to implement this new local structure for coordination and political dialogue. I am convinced that this United Congress will represent a step forward for all, and a new and unprecedented opportunity for the development and preservation of our island, our common home, "concluded the President of the COM.

Regional cooperation at the heart of discussions in Brussels

Daniel Gibbs then went to Brussels for a meeting with the President of the European Parliament, Mr. Antonio Tajani, and the Director General of the Directorate in charge of regional policy for the European Commission, Mr. Marc Le Maître.

These two meetings organized within the framework of the Conference of Presidents of the outermost regions (CPRUP), took place at the right time, since the European Commission presented its budgetary and regulatory proposals for the period 2021-2027 a few days ago.

The coming months thus prove to be crucial for bringing the voice of the Outermost Regions, including that of Saint-Martin, to the French government which sits on the European Council and to European deputies to lead to the adoption of regulatory texts and financial envelopes up to the stakes displayed.

The ORs are now included in almost all regulatory proposals (20 proposals for regulations), which is unprecedented. Measures for our regions are planned on the basis of article 349 of the TFEU.

The President recalled that, like Europe, Saint Martin is also facing new challenges, showing a structural backwardness aggravated by the passage of Hurricane Irma. He also stressed the lowering of co-financing rates, in particular in the context of cohesion policy, as being a sensitive point. This rate going from 85% to 70% in the Commission's regulatory proposals which is a handicap for Saint-Martin.

The President welcomed the European institutions which have allocated financial assistance of € 46 million from the Union Solidarity Fund (FSUE) for clean-up and restoration of basic infrastructure (energy, water, health and education), for costs related to emergency services for immediate needs, as well as measures to protect cultural heritage.

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