<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Until now, national regulations required door-to-door collection everywhere, in the same way. That\u2019s over. The mayor or the president of the intermunicipal association now sets the frequency themselves, taking into account the type of housing, geography, and seasonal population fluctuations. And where there are voluntary drop-off points of equivalent quality, door-to-door collection is no longer mandatory. For municipalities in the Northern Caribbean region or inland areas, where settlements are scattered and roads are difficult to navigate, this provides real flexibility\u2014and a solution to recurring waste collection crises.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Paris a publi\u00e9 fin juillet un m\u00e9ga d\u00e9cret cens\u00e9 all\u00e9ger les r\u00e8gles qui \u00e9touffent les mairies et les collectivit\u00e9s. Il y a du bon. Il y a aussi ce qui ne nous concerne pas, ce qui a \u00e9t\u00e9 mal pens\u00e9 pour nous – \u00a0et une consultation de l\u2019Assembl\u00e9e de Martinique dont on ne trouve<\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":93198,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"","rank_math_canonical_url":"","rank_math_robots":"","rank_math_facebook_title":"","rank_math_facebook_description":"","rank_math_twitter_title":"","rank_math_twitter_description":""},"categories":[922],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-le-regard-de-gdc"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93196"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93196\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93199,"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93196\/revisions\/93199"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Buildings at Risk<\/h3>\r\n
When a property owner refuses to have a multi-unit building that is in danger of collapsing inspected, the mayor could already act on the owner\u2019s behalf. The decree finally specifies how: the mayor appoints the inspector, may enter the premises, and recovers the cost from the owner through the same mechanism used for local taxes. For Les Terres-Sainville, Volga-Plage, or the dilapidated condominiums in Le Lamentin, this is likely the most useful provision in the legislation.<\/span><\/h3>\r\n
Emergency Housing<\/h3>\r\n
\r\n\r\n<\/h3>\r\n
Government funding for the renovation of shelters\u2014known as \u00abhumanization\u00bb funds\u2014had been excluded from overseas territories by a single line of text. That line has been removed. Our facilities are now eligible for this funding.<\/span><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Ducos Prison<\/b><\/h3>\r\n
\r\n\r\n<\/h3>\r\n
An unexpected measure: Inmates are no longer counted as part of the municipality\u2019s population when calculating social housing quotas. There is only one such case in Martinique: Ducos, with approximately 18,100 residents and a prison designed for 738 inmates, which is consistently over capacity. The municipality\u2019s calculation basis decreases by approximately 5 %, and its construction targets decrease accordingly.<\/span><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
That's none of our business<\/b><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n
Two of the decree\u2019s most significant provisions concern major planning documents: the regional development plan and the plan governing the use of the sea.<\/b><\/h2>\r\nHowever, Martinique uses neither one nor the other.\u00a0<\/b><\/blockquote>\r\n
We have our own tools, derived from our status as overseas regions: the regional land-use plan for the land, and a maritime basin plan for the sea. The regulatory exemptions passed in Paris do not apply here.<\/b><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
It\u2019s worth stating this clearly: of the two measures that would have directly benefited the Territorial Collectivity of Martinique within its own areas of jurisdiction, the simplification effort has passed us by. There is no shortage of measures for the municipalities; what\u2019s missing are those for the CTM.<\/span><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
What Was Poorly Thought Out for Us<\/b><\/h2>\r\n
\r\n\r\n<\/h2>\r\n
Appeal to Oneself<\/b><\/h3>\r\n
\r\n\r\n<\/h2>\r\n
The decree establishes a safeguard that seems to make good sense: if the prefect denies your building permit, you can appeal to the regional prefect, a higher-level authority. Except that in Martinique\u2014as in Guadeloupe, French Guiana, R\u00e9union, and Mayotte\u2014the regional prefect and the departmental prefect are the same person. So you\u2019re appealing the prefect\u2019s decision\u2026 to the prefect. The safeguard vanishes. No one in Paris thought about regions consisting of a single department.<\/span><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The coastline that is fading into the background<\/b><\/h3>\r\n
\r\n\r\n<\/h3>\r\n
To occupy the public maritime domain\u2014that is, to install something on the shoreline\u2014it was previously required to publish a notice in two local newspapers. Now, all that is required is a notice posted at city hall and an online posting on the prefecture\u2019s website. Estimated savings: 464,000 euros per year nationwide.<\/span><\/h3>\r\n
\r\n\r\n<\/h3>\r\n
\r\n
But here, this affects a coastline that\u2019s already under intense pressure\u2014fifty-step regulations, land regularization projects, tourism and port developments\u2014in a region where the daily press has collapsed and not everyone has internet access. In other words: we\u2019re saving a budget line item in exchange for slightly less public information about what\u2019s being built along the coast.<\/b><\/h3>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
A measure worth reading twice<\/b><\/h3>\r\n
\r\n\r\n<\/h3>\r\n
The government has announced that it has \u00abfacilitated burials on private property overseas.\u00bb This, it is said, is a long-standing practice in our country, linked to our relationship with the land and (sic!)<\/span><\/h3>\r\n
\r\n\r\n<\/h3>\r\n
In reality, the text does something else: it defines the areas where it is prohibited. The law permits burial on private property only outside \u00abcities and towns.\u00bb Finally, the decree specifies what constitutes a city or town in the overseas territories: any municipality with more than 3,500 inhabitants\u2014and any municipality that is part of, even partially, an urban area with more than 3,500 inhabitants.<\/span><\/h3>\r\n
\r\n\r\n<\/h3>\r\n
On an island as densely urbanized as Martinique, this second criterion is likely to apply to nearly all of our thirty-four municipalities. It cannot be ruled out that the actual effect will be the opposite of what was announced. This point warrants careful scrutiny before we celebrate it.<\/span><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
And what about the Martinique Assembly in all this?<\/b><\/h2>\r\n
\r\n\r\n<\/h2>\r\n
It's the little details that say the most.<\/b><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
When Paris drafts legislation affecting the overseas territories, it must consult with our assemblies. The decree clearly states, in its opening lines, that it was submitted to the Assembly of Martinique on June 16, 2026.<\/span><\/h3>\r\n
\r\n\r\n<\/h3>\r\n
But he mentions a referral, not an opinion. The distinction is not a matter of form. For the French agencies consulted\u2014the council that evaluates standards, the council for funeral services, and the local finance committee\u2014the decree cites each of their opinions, along with the date, in every instance. For Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, R\u00e9union, Mayotte, and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon: nothing. Only the date the letter was sent.<\/span><\/h3>\r\n
\r\n\r\n<\/h3>\r\n
The procedure is well known: after one month has passed, the notice is deemed to have been given, whether or not it was actually issued. Filed on June 16, signed on July 27: the clock has run out, and the box is checked.<\/span><\/h3>\r\n
\r\n\r\n<\/h3>\r\n
\r\n
It remains to be seen which of the two scenarios is true. Either the Assembly failed to deliberate in a timely manner\u2014in which case it will have to explain itself\u2014or it did deliberate, and its opinion was not deemed worthy of mention\u2014which is even more serious.<\/h3>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
You can announce thirty measures \u00abfor the overseas territories\u00bb without the overseas territories having had a say in the matter. That\u2019s the difference between simplification for us and simplification with us.<\/b><\/em><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
G\u00e9rard Dorwling-Carter\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"