Historic agreement: France accepts the status of New Caledonia, which will remain French.

BarcelonaFrance and New Caledonia announced this Saturday a "historic" agreement under which the South Pacific archipelago will be internationally recognized as a state, but will remain French. The agreement recognizes New Caledonia's nationality, which is compatible with French nationality. The pact resolves a conflict that has been ongoing. erupted into violent protests last year and had led to a deadlock between pro-French and pro-independence forces.

At the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron, elected officials, political leaders, business leaders, and representatives of social organizations met near Paris for ten days to draft a constitutional framework for the territory. The outcome of the talks is the creation of a "State of New Caledonia," which will maintain "a status within France, with the Caledonians remaining French," Nicolas Metzdorf, an anti-independence MP, told AFP.

The agreement must now be ratified by parliament before the end of the year, followed by a referendum in 2026. The archipelago's Kanak population has been fighting for years for greater autonomy or independence from France, including protests in 2014, which saw 2,000 people die and millions of euros, 10% of its gross domestic product (GDP).

Prime Minister François Bayrou has said the agreement has "historic dimensions." New Caledonia, with a population of around 270,000 and located almost 17,000 kilometers from Paris, is one of several overseas territories under French sovereignty. It has been governed from Paris since the 19th century, but many indigenous Kanak people want greater autonomy or independence.

Riots erupted in May 2024 after Paris planned to give voting rights to thousands of non-indigenous long-term residents, something Kanaks saw as a way to corner them, especially ahead of the independence referendum. As part of the agreement, residents of New Caledonia will only be able to vote after they have lived in the archipelago for ten years. The agreement also includes an economic and financial recovery pact that includes a renewal of the territory's nickel processing capacities.

The last independence referendum in New Caledonia was held in 2021 and It was boycotted by pro-independence groups due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Kanak population. The referendum was the last of three since 2018, in which they rejected New Caledonia's independence. Since then, politics in the archipelago has been at a standstill.