MPs are working on the government's plan to "rebuild" Mayotte

"An unprecedented ambition" or yet another plan for France's poorest department? Members of parliament began discussing a bill on Monday aimed at "rebuilding" Mayotte, with the goal of reducing its deep inequalities with the rest of the country. Six months after the devastating impact of Cyclone Chido and a reconstruction law adopted in February, the National Assembly is taking up a new bill for Mayotte.

"For years, if not decades, the people of Mayotte have been waiting for this text, which must respond to their aspirations for real equality and the completion of departmentalization. Here we are," exclaimed Overseas Minister Manuel Valls before the deputies.

"At a time of foreign interference and the desire to destabilize France, it is more necessary than ever to act and fulfill the republican promise in Mayotte," insisted the minister, defending a text of "unprecedented political ambition" before a nearly empty chamber.

Colonized in 1841, Mayotte chose to remain part of the French Republic after the Comoros declared independence in the 1970s. Following a referendum in 2009, the Indian Ocean archipelago became the 101st French department.

But years and several government plans later, inequality with mainland France remains abysmal: 77% of the population lives below the national poverty line, and about a third of the housing is "informal," often consisting of unsanitary shantytowns. The cyclone only exacerbated these weaknesses.

"While this Mayotte law is not perfect" and "fails in many respects to meet legitimate expectations," it nevertheless marks "a historic step," said Mayotte MP and co-rapporteur of the text, Estelle Youssouffa (Liot group). This is because Mayotte "has never benefited from the structural investments" that the rest of the country has, the elected official pointed out.

The text plans to release "nearly four billion euros" over six years. "An unprecedented financial commitment," the minister asserts, at a time when the country needs to find 40 billion euros in savings. But for Mayotte's second-placed MP, Anchya Bamana (RN), "how can we trust vague budgetary promises when so many previous commitments have never been honored?"

Adopted at the end of May by the Senate, the text lists two priorities: the fight against illegal immigration and illegal housing, "otherwise, we risk rebuilding Mayotte on sand," according to Mr. Valls, who advocates measures to facilitate the destruction of shanty towns or toughen the conditions for access to stay on the archipelago, where half the population is foreign.

Left-wing MPs took turns denouncing the "obsession with immigration." "Meanwhile, social justice, real equality, the issue of development, access to water, education, and healthcare, all of this is being pushed to the background," denounced Emeline K/Bidi (GDR).

The text does, however, contain an economic and social component with a particularly eagerly awaited measure in the archipelago: social convergence - that is, a harmonization of the level of social benefits between Mayotte and mainland France. It is scheduled for 2031, but an initial objective was notched up in committee: reaching 87.5% of the minimum wage by January 1, 2026.

Convergence was already promised ten years ago, for 2025... some MPs pointed out from the podium. "This is the first time that a government" has enshrined it in law, Mr. Valls sought to reassure.

Another measure being demanded in the archipelago is the end of the territorialized visa, which prevents holders of a Mahoran residence permit from entering mainland France. The measure is seen as a lack of solidarity from the mainland, which refuses to take its share of the migration problem.

Its repeal was approved in committee, but from 2030, the time it takes for the anti-immigration measures to take effect and thus avoid a pull factor.

This is "a strong signal" that has been called for for years, Ms. Youssouffa welcomed, but argued for its abolition by 2026. In the evening, the deputies began to examine the details of the bill, and in particular an article aimed at tightening the conditions for obtaining residence permits for family reasons.