The Territorial Council at a glance
The agenda for the Territorial Council meeting on 27 March comprised 13 items. It was amended by the President so that the key issues—the 2026 draft budget, funding and the situation at Air Antilles—could be addressed at the end of the meeting, to allow more time for debate.
This decision was not universally welcomed, particularly among the opposition, who felt it would have been logical to deal with these items at the start of the council meeting, in order to take into account the fatigue of councillors towards the end of the proceedings after several hours of deliberation. The following four items were therefore discussed in the morning.
Fiscal measures
Measures included in the national budget are analysed each year to assess their impact on taxation in Saint Martin. As Saint Martin citizens must not be disadvantaged compared to those in mainland France, certain national measures are applied in the territory. This year, this applies to the extension of the tax exemption on tips and the simplification of reporting requirements (divorce, marriage, death, etc.). These two measures, which benefit taxpayers, will come into force before the start of the 2025 tax return campaign, which begins on 4 May. They were adopted unanimously by the elected representatives present.
Social and Solidarity Economy
Represented largely by the voluntary sector as employers, or by private enterprises in the form of cooperatives or mutual societies, the Social and Solidarity Economy has, since 2023, been structured through an agreement with ESS France Overseas and has taken shape through the ESSor project, which has enabled support for 19 project leaders, the organisation of 11 group sessions and three incubation phases (85 participants), and the implementation of several events (200 participants). The cost of this project for the 2024–2025 financial year was €224,204 for the Local Authority and €328,730 from European ESF funds. The agreement has been renewed for the period 2026–2028, with the aim of establishing the Territorial Chamber of the Social and Solidarity Economy by 30 June 2027 at the latest.
The territorial project for the development, promotion and facilitation of the SSE ecosystem and the signing of the agreement were adopted by a majority (18 votes in favour and 4 abstentions).
Slaughterhouse
The abattoir is administered by a board of directors comprising seven elected representatives from the Collectivité and two qualified individuals. Due to the departure from the island of Robert Garon, representative of the voluntary sector, and the prolonged absence of Guy Anaïs, representative of the CCISM, two seats were vacant. Based on criteria of recognised local roots, established institutional or professional legitimacy, and availability to participate in the board’s work, the elected representatives unanimously decided to award the first seat for a qualified individual to Pierre Aliotti, first vice-president of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of Saint Martin (CESC). As for the second seat, although based on the same criteria, it was awarded to Parisian Alain Warth, president of the Association of Restaurant Chefs of Saint Martin.
Fort Louis Marina
Management of the Fort Louis marina was entrusted to Semsamar in June 2000 for an initial period of 15 years. This agreement, which involved significant investment (pontoons, utilities, harbour master’s office), was extended twice at the request of the Collectivité, until 31 December 2018. It was then due to take back the marina in good working order, but that was without taking into account the passage of Irma in 2017. The Collectivité resumed operations on 1 January 2019 through its public port authority, with the transfer of assets, operational data and staff. Following this takeover, Semsamar invoiced the Collectivité in August 2020 for the sum of €972,394.43, corresponding to the net book value of the assets, after deduction of provisions for maintenance and repairs and insurance compensation received. This outstanding amount led to a dispute between the two parties. In order to settle the matter, a memorandum of understanding was signed setting the amount owed by the Collectivité to Semsamar at €910,730.61. Despite questions from the opposition, the resolution was adopted with 7 votes in favour, 4 against and 2 abstentions.
