Bougival Accord

The Bougival Accord (French: Accord de Bougival) of 2025 is an agreement between the French Republic, New Caledonians independentist and loyalist, following the 2024 crisis in the archipelago. It was signed on 12 July 2025 by Manuel Valls, Ministry of the Overseas, and by various leader of the New Caledonian political parties. The official name of the agreement is the Agreement Project of the Future of New Caledonia (French: Projet d'accord sur l'avenir de la Nouvelle-Calédonie)

The agreement will have to be enshrined into the French Constitution by the parliament, and then, in February 2026, validated by a local referendum.

If accepted, the Bougival Accord will replace the Nouméa Accord and officially recognise a "State of New Caledonia" inside of France, giving the special collectivity the status of an associated state. Residents will have both the French and New Caledonian nationalities. The Congress of New Caledonia will adopt a new "fundamental law". The French state will transfer some of its power to New Caledonia, including in diplomacy.

Content

• The New Caledonian citizenship will be transformed into a New Caledonian nationality. This nationality will be given to any French nationals meeting one of the following criteria:
  • To be admitted to participate in the election of the provincial assemblies and the Congress of New Caledonia in 2026;
  • To be the child of a parent who meets the conditions for acquiring Neo Caledonian nationality;
  • To be born in New Caledonia to parents who do not meet the conditions for acquiring neo-caledonian nationality and to reside there at the time of the application for nationality (duration to be set by the future fundamental law);
  • To have resided in New Caledonia for at least ten years at the time of the application for nationality (integration conditions to be defined by the future basic law);
  • To have been united for at least 5 years through marriage or a civil solidarity pact with a person holding New Caledonian nationality and to have resided in New Caledonia for at least five years at the time of the application.
• The 6th legislature of the Congress of New Caledonia, which will be elected in May/June 2026, will have to adopt a fundamental law.
• With a 36 members majority, the Congress of New Caledonia will be able to ask for a transfer of sovereign competency from the French state to the State of New Caledonia. The competencies that could be transfer are : defense, currency, security and public order, justice, and legality oversight. In that case, a work committee between the Congress and the French state will be created to study the modalities of that transfer. A joint project could then be proposed to the New Caledonian in a referendum.

• The French state will transfer foreign relations power to the State of New Caledonia, which will conduct it's diplomatic action with respect for international commitments and the fundamental interests of France (security, defense and vital interests). This transfer of power could potentially allow for New Caledonia's accession as a member state of the United Nations.
• The French state will stay in charge of security and public order, but a customary police will be created and will enforce customary rules in customary land. Provinces will also be authorized to create a police force.

Referendum

See 2026 New Caledonian Bougival Accord referendum

Reactions

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, praised the agreement as "historic".

Emmanuel Tjibaou, pro-independence deputy, considerer that while "this text does not mention the word independence, it opens a structured, progressive, legally regulated and politically legitimate path" to achieve it.

Nicolas Metzdorf, loyalist deputy, said that his group "had to make significant concessions to achieve these gains" but is still "satisfied because it is a status within France", because no new independence referendum will be organized, and because of the "increase in the seats of the South Province in Congress".