In late July 2025, the government introduced a bill to address the high cost of living in the overseas territories. This legislation has been long awaited, as the issue of high prices remains one of the major concerns in the overseas territories. The Economic, Social, and Environmental Council (CESE), which was consulted for its opinion, welcomes the initiative but believes that the proposed measures remain too limited in the face of a crisis described as «systemic and multifactorial.».
Parliamentary consideration of this bill now hinges on the outcome of the confidence vote on September 8, 2025, called for by Prime Minister François Bayrou, which adds a political dimension to an issue that is already socially explosive.
An alarming finding: structural high prices
The EESC points out that the high cost of living in the overseas territories stems from a combination of structural factors: additional import costs due to geographical remoteness and dependence on imports; a high concentration of retailers, which limits competition; lower average incomes than in mainland France; and, ultimately, insufficient local production, which is unable to meet most of the demand.
Together, these factors create an inflationary spiral that erodes purchasing power and perpetuates a deep social divide between mainland France and the overseas territories.
The EESC's Proposals
1. Territorial Continuity and Transportation
In Article 1, the government plans to artificially lower the threshold for resale at a loss by allowing the deduction of transportation costs.
In the EESC's view, this measure could distort competition without resolving the underlying problem.
Instead, he advocates for freight rate equalization and calls for the establishment of a genuine right to territorial continuity—modeled after the Corsican system—that would guarantee equal rates between mainland France and the overseas territories.
2. A Strengthened Value-for-Money Shield (BQP)
The EESC supports the principle of the BQP but considers it too restrictive in its current form. It proposes: expanding the list of covered products to include not only food but also hygiene, health, and telecommunications; make negotiations more inclusive by involving not only distributors and importers, but also local producers and even citizens selected at random, in order to better reflect the public’s expectations.
3. Transparency and Competition
To curb inflationary pressures, the EESC calls for greater transparency in economic channels: a mandatory requirement for retail companies to file annual financial statements; stricter oversight of vertical mergers, where a single group acts as an importer, wholesaler, and retailer; and tighter regulation of deceptive commercial practices, reaffirming the ban on «back-end rebates» introduced in 2005, and the implementation of “triple-net” pricing, which includes all discounts, to ensure greater clarity for consumers.
A Global Issue: The Right to Economic Equality
Beyond technical measures, the EESC emphasizes the need for a comprehensive overhaul of economic and trade systems in the overseas territories. The stated goal is the recognition of an effective right to economic and tariff equality for the populations of the overseas territories.
In short, this is not just a matter of ’adjusting« existing measures, but of ensuring that residents of the overseas territories are no longer permanently disadvantaged by a system that makes their daily lives more difficult and widens social inequalities.
The bill to combat the high cost of living is a first step, but one that the CESE considers insufficient. By calling for more ambitious measures—territorial continuity, an expanded BQP, and greater transparency—the Council is putting pressure on the government and lawmakers. The challenge is clear: to move from a system of ad hoc corrections to a genuine guarantee of economic equality between mainland France and the overseas territories.
Jean-Paul Blois
