Council defers debate on
ties with European Union
MARIGOT--One of the key agenda points at Wednesday’s first Territorial Council meeting, a motion to approve St. Martin’s relationship with the European Union, was omitted from the discussion list, but will be debated at a later date.
“It’s a sensitive issue,” remarked one opposition Councillor. “I think the whole community has to get involved and give an opinion.
“As a Collectivité we have to say clearly whether we want to be an integral part of Europe or whether we want to have a status like they have on the Dutch side. Are we going to go for European funds and submit to all the constraints that that entails, and lose our souls in the process? That’s what we have to weigh up.”
The remaining points discussed at the meeting were mostly formalities or technicalities required by Government and adopted by the Council with little debate. These included a motion to form a new entity to manage the schools canteen (Caisse des Écoles), the reimbursement of elected officials’ travelling expenses, the training programme for elected officials tentatively scheduled for September and October, the extension of the convention for the management of civil servants, and an issue on tax matters.
Until the Collectivité can implement its own fiscal code, and a convention is signed, the standard French code will be applied.
The president was also given a firm mandate by the Council to create management positions where necessary and the Executive Council will have the power to make informed decisions on recruitment.
President Louis-Constant Fleming, who presided over the council’s first meeting, said he was satisfied with the outcome. He said he planned to meet with the Executive Council on the Dutch side during the first week of September and to host the first bilingual press briefing on the French side at the end of August.
