Parliament definitively adopts the bill to "rebuild Mayotte", seven months after Chido

Combating immigration and illegal housing, investing massively to rebuild France's poorest department, and conducting a population census: the bill to "rebuild Mayotte" aims to address the immense challenges facing the devastated archipelago. Here are the main points of the bill, finally adopted Thursday in Parliament, seven months after the devastating impact of Cyclone Chido.

The government's text is not simply a bill; it also includes a programmatic component, which sets objectives for the executive. It lists the state's priorities for Mayotte and the public investments planned between 2025 and 2031, focused on water, education, health, infrastructure, and security.

Initially set at €3.2 billion, they have been raised to nearly €4 billion. It also contains more general commitments, such as the end of school rotations for the start of the 2027 school year, while many students currently have to share their classrooms with another group due to a lack of available places.

He is making good on the promise to build "essential infrastructure" such as hospitals and a new airport on the island of Grande-Terre.

The text lists two priorities: the fight against immigration and illegal housing, "otherwise, we risk rebuilding Mayotte on sand," in the words of Overseas Minister Manuel Valls.

It tightens the conditions for access to residence in the archipelago, where half the population is foreign, according to the INSEE. Obtaining a residence permit for parents of French children will now be conditional on legal entry into the country.

It combats fraudulent recognitions of paternity by increasing the penalty for this offense. It also plans to centralize these recognitions in Mamoudzou, with the aim of identifying those responsible for multiple recognitions.

The security component provides for the possible withdrawal of residence permits from the parents of children considered to be a threat to public order. It also provides for the possibility of placing minors accompanying an adult subject to a removal order in a detention zone.

Several measures facilitate the destruction of shanty towns on the archipelago, for example the possibility of exemption from the obligation to offer rehousing or emergency accommodation.

The text provides for the abolition, by 2030, of territorial visas in Mayotte, which prevent holders of a Mahoran residence permit from coming to mainland France.

The abolition of this specific residence permit is eagerly awaited by residents who see it as an injustice and a lack of solidarity from mainland France in the face of the massive influx of illegal immigrants, particularly from the neighboring Comoros.

On the social side, the bill plans to bring the level of social benefits such as the RSA or the minimum wage (SMIC) into line between Mayotte and mainland France by 2031. A first step will make it possible to reach 87.5% of the minimum wage by 1 January 2026.

On the business side, a reduction in charges and the maintenance of the CICE until January 1, 2027 have been agreed, with the implementation of a specific charge exemption scheme for overseas businesses, from this date.

Furthermore, the text provides for the creation of a "global free zone" with reductions of up to 100%, extended to all companies and all sectors of activity, to stimulate the Mahoran economy.

On the other hand, the text was stripped of a measure that was particularly irritating for the Mahorais, an article simplifying land procedures and expropriations with a view to building essential infrastructure.

The comprehensive population census in Mayotte, starting in 2025, a much-anticipated measure on the island, is also enshrined in law. For years, local officials have argued that the population is underestimated, resulting in communities that are less well-resourced than they should be and overburdened public services.

Mayotte will become a single "department-region." This institutional change, enacted in a parallel organic law, aims to give Mayotte's elected officials more leverage, particularly to manage European funds and steer the development of their archipelago.

The project establishes a list system for the election of 52 councillors to the Mayotte assembly, as well as incentives to attract civil servants, such as a seniority bonus and priority transfer upon return.