A delegation of six French senators arrived in Nouméa on Friday for a week-long mission aimed squarely at economic development and regional integration in New Caledonia, a clear pivot away from the territory’s highly charged institutional debates. The delegation is led by Micheline Jacques, a senator from Saint-Barthélemy, and includes two Caledonian parliamentarians from opposite political camps — Georges Naturel (Les Républicains) and Robert Xowie (FLNKS) — underscoring an attempt at cross-spectrum engagement on economic issues.
Jacques told local officials the mission would “specifically examine development issues, not the territory’s institutional future.” “We do not want to mix current political discussions with the focus of our study,” she said, adding that the senators will look at “sectors of the future” for France’s overseas territories. “Often our territories are seen as problems… Everything comes from France even though we have local resources across the region. It would be interesting to promote them,” Jacques said, signalling an emphasis on leveraging local assets and linking New Caledonia more tightly with Oceania markets.
Shortly after arrival the senators met with the Congress of New Caledonia, the mayor of Nouméa and the high commissioner. The delegation plans to travel to Wallis over the weekend and, on returning to Nouméa, will sit down with France’s interministerial mission for New Caledonia to discuss the economic and social dimensions of the so-called refoundation pact. A broad slate of meetings with business groups and institutions is scheduled, including Medef, FEINC, CPME, SLN, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the University of New Caledonia and the Research Institute.
Although institutional questions are not the explicit remit, political exchanges are nonetheless part of the itinerary. Early next week the senators will meet a wide range of local political formations — UNI, Caledonia Together, Ocean Awakening, loyalist groups and a separate FLNKS delegation — reflecting the practical need to hear from both pro-independence and pro-France actors on economic priorities and local concerns. The mission will conclude with meetings with the president of the government, a visit to the Tjibaou Cultural Center, a dinner with armed forces representatives, and discussions with the French Ambassador for the Pacific and the high commissioner.
The visit is presented as the Oceania leg of a continuing parliamentary review of France’s overseas territories: the delegation previously produced reports on the Indian Ocean in 2024 and the Atlantic in 2025. Organisers say this year’s mission aims to better connect overseas economies with regional opportunities — a priority with heightened importance given New Caledonia’s fragile context since the unrest of May 2024 and the Pacific Islands Forum’s expressed concerns about the territory’s stability last year.
The senators’ focus on economic avenues runs in parallel to a separate, higher-profile political effort by the French government: Manuel Valls, France’s minister for overseas territories, is scheduled to visit New Caledonia shortly to engage on the territory’s institutional future. By concentrating on jobs, investment, research and regional trade links, the senatorial mission seeks to identify practical measures that could bolster livelihoods and reduce tensions, though officials acknowledge that any economic proposals will need political buy-in to be implemented. Outcomes from the week of meetings are expected to feed into interministerial deliberations and the ongoing refoundation pact discussions.
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