MARIGOT--Member of Parliament (MP) for St. Martin and St. Barths Daniel Gibbs has released a booklet 2012-2014 Mid Term Journal outlining his accomplishments and interventions 2½ years into his mandate.
The seven-page newsletter-style booklet edited by the Republican group in the National Assembly contains equally distributed criticisms from the opposition on a number of President François Hollande’s policies and Daniel Gibb’s main negotiations to implement specific measures for overseas territories, including St. Martin.
Amongst the significant achievements have been his 32 propositions for the development of St. Martin, pushing through the now ratified Police Cooperation Treaty for St. Martin, pressing the Minister of Justice on when the traffic code for St. Martin will be implemented – without which Gendarmes and Police cannot fine motorists for infractions – and his interventions in Parliament as key speaker for his group during debates on the budget for overseas territories.
Gibbs noted President Hollande on his May visit to St. Martin picked up on some of the 32 measures which resulted in granting the Collectivité a branch of the Guadeloupe Court of First Instance (Chambre Detachée), suppressing the 600,000 euro negative charge the Collectivité has to pay annually to the State as a result of the transfer of competences and reinforcement of the Gendarmerie including a special investigator.
There was progress on files concerning St. Barths such as the request to have their own social security system and social aid for the high cost of living in St. Barths due to imports first landing in St. Maarten.
He contributed to the debate on obesity and voted for the measure to reduce the sugar content of yoghurts and sodas in the French Antilles which have a 50 per cent higher content than in France.
Gibbs has also been instrumental since 2012 in helping to abolish the phone roaming charges for persons travelling to France.
“It was totally unfair that you were in a roaming system when making cell phone calls while in France,” he explained. “The regulator finally said the charges would cease in 2017 but we pushed for it to be stopped in 2016. They had started reducing the charges by five per cent. We re-negotiated and now it will be abolished as of May 1, 2016, meaning you will be able to go to France with your cell phone and make local calls.”
Asked if a prison was back on the negotiating table, now that St. Martin will have a Chambre Detachée, he replied: “It’s still in the pipeline. I’m still working with the Minister on this along with hospital deficit situation, trying to get an increase in subventions where that is concerned and the situation of the nurses.”
