France approves treaty formally defining border with Dutch side of Saint Martin

France’s National Assembly on July 16 approved legislation to formally define the border between the French and Dutch sides of the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, nearly four centuries after France and the Netherlands agreed to divide the territory.

Lawmakers approved a bill authorising ratification of the 2023 agreement “on the delimitation of the border between France [Saint-Martin] and the Netherlands [Sint Maarten]," Politico reports. 

The treaty is intended to provide legal certainty for one of Europe’s most unusual borders: an open frontier between Saint-Martin, an overseas collectivity of France and part of the European Union, and Sint Maarten, a self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands that lies outside the EU.

Residents cross freely between the two sides despite differences in customs, immigration and tax systems.

The division of the island dates back to 1648, when France and the Netherlands agreed to split Saint Martin but did not precisely define the border. Over the centuries, a de facto frontier emerged, leading to recurring disputes over permits, law enforcement and environmental management around the island’s lagoon.

The issue was finally pushed toward resolution after Hurricane Irma devastated more than 95 per cent of the island’s buildings in 2017, prompting Paris and The Hague to settle the longstanding dispute.

“France can be proud of having settled one of its oldest territorial disputes,” lawmaker Bertrand Bouyx, who steered the legislation through parliament, wrote in a report accompanying the bill.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands must still ratify the agreement before it can enter into force.

By Sabina Mammadli