Summary of interview with former Minister of Justice JJ Urvoas on 04.08.2024

Hello everyone,

The association is getting back to you to provide you with a  summary of the testimony given earlier this week by the former Minister of Justice, Jean Jacques Urvoas,  on current events in New Caledonia and the possible associated or federated state solutions  he advocated in 2017.

We learn several interesting things, namely that:

–  France has never succeeded in decolonizing peacefully,  unlike other empires,

– the  only solution acceptable to all, the alternative for New Caledonia is either the associated State or the federated State , of which a large number of examples are present in the Pacific region,

– the  concepts of associated and federated State are foreign to French law  but exist in Anglo-Saxon law,

– the  notion of federalism is applied by all of France’s neighbors,  namely Germany, Italy, Spain,

– Michel ROCARD for the Matignon agreements had stipulated after these: “ We are making a federal agreement but we are not saying it because if I say the word then I immediately condemn the approach ”,

– according to the commentator, the  behavior of the French State is thus a little schizophrenic ,

– the  law is not the same everywhere in France  and that  France “one and indivisible” is no longer in the  1958 constitution,

–  the State is tired of the problems of New Caledonia, considered too far away, too expensive ,

– the  French government wants to replace the current president but there are no willing candidates ,

–  France is no longer a unitary state due to the laws of the country of New Caledonia ,

–  Anglo-Saxon law can be adopted in New Caledonia, as requested by certain local political groups ,

– The associated state will not work because we know what it knows ,

–  France according to the commentator quoting Thierry Michalon is a federation that ignores itself ,

– of the  community of 58, a sort of French Commonwealth, elements are still relevant today,

– the  solution is not partition , because it is not operational and is not to be encouraged,

– it is  appropriate to bring a solution to the State and not just the problems  because otherwise there is a risk of:

– escalation of problems into repression,

– or status quo, that is to say that nothing moves,

– The State was to leave only 17 squadrons in the entire overseas territories, the rest being allocated to the Olympic Games. The events in New Caledonia having forced the State to send 32 squadrons, or 3,500 men, notably from other overseas territories. The former minister specified that if events were to take place in Mayotte, the Antilles, or elsewhere, the State would be in difficulty.

– the current political situation in France means that future national governments will be fragile.

Find the former minister’s speech in full on our website via our “Downloads” section or directly at the following link:

Jean – Jacques Urvoas, “État Fédéré ou État Associé ?” – Évènements 2024 Témoignages (youtube.com)

Wishing you a good read and reminding you that federalism turns out to be the only solution.

The APROFED association