France and Saint Lucia
Political relations
Political relations are good, facilitated by Saint Lucia’s geographical proximity to Martinique. They are mainly neighbourly relations.
A delegation from Saint Lucia, led by the Prime Minister, participated in the COP21 which was held in Le Bourget from 30 November to 12 December 2015. This event helped to highlight our shared commitment in the fight against global warming. Saint Lucia, like the majority of its Caribbean neighbours, was one of the first countries in the world to ratify the Paris Agreement.
In 2015, Martinique joined the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), of which Saint Lucia is a founding member. In 2019, Guadeloupe acquired associate member status, and Saint Martin was admitted as an observer member.
French presence
Saint Lucia has a French Embassy.
French community: 497 on consular register on 31 December 2019
Saint Lucian community in France: 2,803 on 31 December 2016
Visits
- 30 November 2015: the Prime Minister, Mr Kenny Anthony, and the Minister for Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology, Mr James Fletcher, participated in the 21st Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP21, Le Bourget).
- 12 December 2017: Prime Minister Allen Chastanet took part in the One Planet Summit in Paris.
Ambassadors
- French Ambassador to Saint Lucia: Mr Philippe Ardanaz
- Ambassador of Saint Lucia to France: Mr Ernest Hilaire
Economic relations
The French companies present in Saint Lucia work in the tourism, agrifood and public works (Vinci) sectors.
Cultural, scientific and technical cooperation
France’s Cooperation and Cultural Action Service, which is competent for all of the English-speaking small-island States in the Caribbean, is based in Saint Lucia.
It supports the initiatives of the OECS Secretariat and the Ministry of the Environment in the field of sustainable development (adapting to climate change, protecting the environment, healthcare and food, heritage) and supports initiatives in the French private sector.
Two FSPI projects have been operating under the Cooperation and Cultural Action service since 2019 and are expected to reach completion in 2020 and early 2021.
The CARICOM FSPI IFLE project (€800,000) implemented by the Alliance Française, helps develop three areas of cooperation: linguistic, economic and cultural, in several countries in the CARICOM area, including Saint Lucia;
An FSPI collection and exportation project to recycle plastic bottles (€800,000) is underway and is expected to be completed in March 2021.
French language teaching and cultural exchanges are an important part of bilateral cooperation. The Alliance Française has around 600 students, and contributed to the Linguistic Pact between Saint Lucia and the International Organisation of La Francophonie, signed in 2011. A significant programme helping Saint Lucian students access French higher education was launched in 2016. In addition, cultural exchanges with Martinique and, to a lesser extent, Guadeloupe, have been developed in partnership with the French regional directorates of cultural affairs (DRAC) and the operators of the French Communities of the Americas.
The Agence française de développement (AFD, French Development Agency) is also active in Saint Lucia, from its office based in Martinique, but the country’s debt levels limit the possibility to finance projects through loans.
Other cooperation
France and Saint Lucia strive to develop cooperation in the field of security. A joint committee meeting on this topic was held in Saint Lucia on 5 November 2019, co-chaired by Saint Lucia’s Minister of Home Affairs, Justice and National Security, and the French Ambassador, in the presence of a large delegation from the Martinique Prefecture.
Updated: June 2020