The Courier

Paul Vergès is true to form. His culture and way with words – come across during press conferences. He is noted for his public speaking that leaves even his critics spellbound. Today he addressed his great concern about the current situation on Réunion, describing his country as being, “on state of alert no. 1” in view of the general situation the planet finds itself in. His solutions require investment in technology of the future – to which Réunion is committed – as well as co-development strategies with the country’s Indian Ocean neighbours. 

He started off by captivating his audience with a polished dialectic on the connection between various protests around the world, the global effects of the Clinton-Obama duo, the upcoming elections to the European Commission presidency*, world demographics, the increased frequency of tornadoes in the United States and other states in turmoil caused by climatic change – the floods in Burma being the most recent example – and the price of raw materials and oil. Then he turned attention to the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states and the European Union (EU) and economic globalisation.

"Confronted by this, Réunion must develop quickly but at the same time it is currently bearing the full brunt of global phenomena”. Farmers on Réunion fear that the EPAs will bring competition with both their neighbours and also partners of the co-development strategy proposed by Vergès. The private sector is anxious about the abolition of the current ‘dock dues’ that allow the island’s municipalities to levy a special tax on imported products. And what about the famous ‘Train-Tram’ project designed to revolutionise mobility on the island that is very vulnerable to the sharp rise in energy and raw material prices?

Paul Vergès gave an exclusive interview to The Courier providing an insight into his development strategies for the region. 

What margin of manoeuvre do you have in light of your analysis of the global issues which weigh upon such a small territory as Réunion?

One thing that’s obvious is the humility of our population and land. In putting together our development strategy, we have taken on board fixed global trends. One of these is demographic growth. We too have experienced this. Our population has risen from 300,000 in 1946 to over 800,000 today. We will soon reach the million mark. Then there is climate change. People admire our beaches, unaware that 50% of our coral reefs are dead and that soon there will be no more beaches at all for our pleasure. The third major element is trade. Sugar cane and sugar are Réunion’s principal products. As a result of agreements between the European Union and the WTO, sugar prices will fall by 36 per cent by 2013. What will we do after that date? We export to the value of €400,000 and import to the value of €4,300,000, all of which is crippled by the cost of transport. 

So what are your strengths?

We are located in the tropics. The 21st century will be the century of space and sea. On one hand, like French Guyana, we enjoy the most favourable location for the conquest of space. One third less energy is required to launch a satellite from here than from the US. On the other hand, we are surrounded by sea, the starting point of all climate change. Here there are opportunities for research and innovation into fishery resources and biodiversity for instance. Réunion is an EU’s most remote regions and a French overseas department. We have benefited from structural aid and transfers in terms of education. We have used these resources to provide technical training and university education. We are taking technology and knowledge as far as possible. One of the 10 French cyclotrons used in cancer research is based here. We have been hit by Tchikungunya fever, but have set up a research centre on emerging diseases. 

We are gong to install a satellite system to monitor environmental changes within a diameter of 2,500 km allowing us to forecast climate disasters such as drought and coastal erosion as well as monitor sea temperatures at various levels and harvests.  

We have got the French Parliament to pass a bill making adapting to climate change a national priority. When you look at the "Grenelle de l'environnement", you see that France today is at the same stage in its thinking as we were a decade ago. At this time we already wanted to be independent in terms of energy. We anticipated the Kyoto provisions. Here on Réunion we will be the first country in the world to meet 100 per cent of its own energy needs. We are already at 30 per cent, which is three times the EU average, due to hydropower and biomass in particular.

We have embarked on research on the Antarctic swell that breaks on our shores. Portugal is to date the only other country doing this. We are going to study the dynamism of ocean currents and install the equivalent of wind turbines on the seabed. Two parallel trials are being conducted, one in Brittany in France and another elsewhere in Europe. We are using another form of dynamism, the temperature difference between the seabed and the surface, from 5 degrees to 20 degrees.

There is also a way of using the flows of drinking water that circulate at a depth of 100 metres. We have such water. In Hawaii it is already bottled and sold. We have sent a mission there to see how we could do the same.
 
How do your Indian Ocean neighbours fit into the co-development strategy that you are promoting in light of Reunion’s assets?

The situation that is staring us in the face means that we have to confront globalisation. We must transform European Union (EU) and African, Caribbean and Pacific relations. But how can we strengthen our integration into the EU and at the same time into our geo-economic environment?  We have developed a co-development strategy. This cooperation does not involve a developed country establishing contacts with developing countries. When Madagascar had 4 million inhabitants, Réunion had 250,000. Today Madagascar has 19 million and Réunion, 800,000. By 2025, we will have a population of 1 million and Madagascar, 30 million. By around 2050, the population of Madagascar will have climbed to 43.5 million, which is eleven times the figure in 1940. We will therefore have on our doorstep a country more populous than France in the mid-20th century.   

The French Maritime Research Institute has estimated that 97 per cent of the catches made by large trawlers in the Indian Ocean are by countries outside of the Indian Ocean (Europe, the Pacific). But we are experiencing major population growth and thus have a great need for protein. The EU’s duty is therefore to help the Indian Ocean countries develop their fleet. To come back to the local situation, together with our neighbours Madagascar, Mauritius, the Seychelles and Comoros, we want to develop fishing activity that is able to meet the protein requirements of the 40 million Madagascans we will have by the middle of the century.

* Article 14. 1  Lisbon Treaty
“The European Parliament shall, jointly with the Council, exercise legislative and budgetary functions. It shall exercise functions of political control and consultation as laid down in the Treaties. It shall elect the President of the Commission.”

Economic and social problems

The shadows of the sun

Réunion’s biggest social problem is the high level of unemployment which currently stands at 30%. According to the sociologist, Laurent Médéa, this explains why young people are sometimes disillusioned. Assistance from France makes up most of the island's income. Companies are often financially supported by aid from France and the European Union and this frequently makes them uncompetitive. Another blight, often denounced by the local press, is the black economy – drugs, poaching and gambling.

The Chaudron anti-corruption riots in 1991, to protect the freedom of radio and television, are an example of popular discontent. The result was a ‘clean-hands’ operation and a number of local political leaders were sent to prison. Almost all of the political groups were affected by the campaign of Camille Sudre, who led the fight for transparency and was then elected President of the Regional Council in 1992. His election was invalidated owing to procedural issues, but his wife, Maggie Sudre, was elected in his place in 1993.

Réunion has 63,000 welfare recipients and 100,000 illiterate citizens out of a population of 800,000.