European Union Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, Wednesday emphasised the urgent need for peace and stability in New Caledonia as Forum Leaders prepare to discuss the political crisis at their upcoming retreat in Vava’u on Thursday.
Speaking after a meeting with New Caledonian President Louis Mapou, Urpilainen described the discussion as “very honest, open, and constructive.”
She stressed that the EU’s primary concern is to restore stability in the region.
“Of course, we condemn the use of violence—violence is never accepted”.
“What we would like to see is really to have an inclusive political dialogue where different actors and different communities in New Caledonia are included, but the first and most pressing objective is to get stability and peace,” Urpilainen told journalists in Nuku’alofa.
Urpilainen refuted claims that France might be using EU funds to strengthen its position in New Caledonia, which remains a French territory.
“I don’t have any kind of information to say that” she responded when questioned about the issue.
She clarified the EU’s financial involvement, noting that New Caledonia, as part of the EU’s Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs), benefits from a dedicated funding framework.
“It is true that New Caledonia is one of our overseas countries and territories, so it’s part of our OCTs. Of course, in that way, it also benefits from special funding,” she explained.
“We have allocated 500 million Euros (US$558.92 million) from our EU budget for OCTs all over the world, not only Pacific OCTs.”
Urpilainen stressed that while the EU manages its budget, how individual member states allocate their national funds is a matter of their sovereignty.
“The EU is responsible for its budget, and how our member states are using their own national budgets and funding—that’s definitively their sovereignty, and it’s up to them.”
Regarding the EU’s financial support to New Caledonia, Urpilainen highlighted a 13 million Euro (US$14.53 million) budget allocation and an additional 1 million Euro (US$1.11 million) crisis response facility.
She acknowledged that the latter might seem small but emphasised its significance given New Caledonia’s population of less than 300,000.
“From that perspective, Euro 13 million (US$14.53 million) in support is quite sizeable,” Urpilainen added.
