Minister of Overseas France Manuel Valls (left) chats with Collectivité President Louis Mussington (right) and Préfet Cyrille Le Vely (back to camera) at the construction site of Cité Administrative et Judiciare on Friday afternoon. (Robert Luckock photo)
MARIGOT--French Overseas Minister Manuel Valls made a rapid official visit to Saint-Martin on Friday, before going to Saint-Barthélemy on Saturday, and then on to Martinique and Guadeloupe.
Overseas Minister Manuel Valls unveils a plaque in the patio of the Préfecture, as Préfet Cyrille Le Vely (left), Senator Annick Pétrus, President Louis Mussington and Député Frantz Gumbs (right) look on.
After being welcomed at Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) by Dutch St. Maarten Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina, Préfet Cyrille Le Vely, and Collectivité President Louis Mussington, his first visit was to the Préfecture in Concordia where he gave his first address.
He said it was a distinct pleasure to visit the two territories, as the last time he was on an official visit to Guadeloupe and Martinique he was unexpectedly called back to Paris and therefore unable to visit Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy.
Valls expressed his satisfaction that the Préfecture is now a fully-functioning autonomous Préfecture with the sole decision-making that goes with it. He called it a “big step forward” and duly unveiled a plaque in the patio to reflect this development.
He also made it clear that his main priorities for Saint-Martin were restoring security, fighting drug trafficking, the economy, sports infrastructure, education and the youth. Tackling the high cost of living is another high priority, particularly in Guadeloupe and Martinique.
The entourage, which aside from Valls’ aides included Senator Annick Pétrus and Député for Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy Frantz Gumbs, first visited the construction site of the new Cité Administrative et Judiciare where the Minister was briefed on the project.
Next was a visit to the 42-million-euro College 900 in La Savane where a presentation was given by the architect’s office in charge of the project. The intention is to open the doors of the college to students in the last quarter of 2025.
Following this short visit was a challenge for the media. While Valls’ motorcade with a Gendarmerie escort whisked him to each location unimpeded, some media members could not make it to La Savane due to dense rush hour traffic around 5:00pm.
Following College 900, Valls visited the adjacent Fire Station, now referred to as Service Territorial d’Incendie et de Secours (STIS), and the Gendarmerie.
At the end of the afternoon, Valls was received by the medico-social institute Tournesol, before going into a private meeting with President Mussington to discuss priority subjects and concerns, after which he met the members of the Territorial Council for an exchange. The day ended with a dinner with business professionals in Grand Case.
Valls’ agenda for Saint-Barthélemy on Saturday was even shorter, meeting Collectivité President Xavier Lédée, visiting the STIS and the factory Paprec. He departed for Guadeloupe that afternoon, staying until Monday afternoon before visiting Martinique. He is scheduled to return to Paris on Wednesday.
