Stéphane Séjourné visits New Caledonia

From Saturday, October 17 to Tuesday, October 20, Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for prosperity and industrial strategy, will meet and exchange views in New Caledonia on the prospects to be drawn with Europe.

Agreement on critical raw materials

Séjourné will sign an agreement with the government on critical raw materials. The agreement aims to position New Caledonia as a preferred supplier of critical raw materials for Europe and to create lasting links between Caledonian producers and European buyers.

Europe’s focus on nickel

The European Union considers nickel a strategic raw material and seeks to reduce its dependencies. New Caledonia has considerable resources, historical industrial expertise, and unique links with Europe, but it faces competition from producers such as Indonesia.

Strategies to boost Caledonian nickel

Séjourné emphasized that trust does not dispense with competitiveness and that the European Union is working on strategies to create markets for Caledonian nickel. The European Commission is not going to buy Caledonian nickel itself but will create conditions for contracts to be signed, investments to be realized, and projects to become viable.

Support for energy projects

The European Investment Bank and the European Commission will conduct a mission on the territory in December to deepen discussions on energy projects, including the STEP, the pumped storage energy transfer station, in Tontouta. The European Union has already mobilized more than 3.7 billion CFP francs to support the energy transition in New Caledonia.

Broader infrastructure interests

Beyond nickel, several major Caledonian projects interest Brussels for the period 2028-2034, including energy, port, digital cable, and airport developments. The European Union's Global Gateway strategy aims to mobilize financing around major strategic infrastructures.

Future financial framework

Negotiations on the next European financial framework for 2028-2034 are ongoing in Brussels, and definitive amounts have not yet been announced. Séjourné emphasized that the European Union wants to strengthen its presence in the Pacific, particularly through its three overseas territories: New Caledonia, French Polynesia, and Wallis and Futuna.

Europe’s Pacific strategy

The Pacific has become a major strategic space, and Europe has a responsibility, interests, and deep human ties with the region. Séjourné stated that New Caledonia, French Polynesia, and Wallis and Futuna are not on the margins of Europe but are anchoring points of Europe in the Pacific.