French Polynesia: The Senate Unanimously Agrees on Better Compensation for Victims of Nuclear Tests

On Thursday, May 28, the Senate adopted a bill to improve compensation for people exposed to nuclear tests in French Polynesia, where nearly 200 tests were carried out between 1966 and 1996.

The bill, drafted by MPs Mereana Reid Arbelot (Communist group) and Didier Le Gac (Renaissance), which originated from a parliamentary inquiry and was adopted by the National Assembly earlier this year, has been unanimously approved by the Senate. It aims to reform the right to compensation for victims of nuclear tests in French Polynesia, in order to improve a system deemed "complex" or "discouraging" for local populations suffering from illnesses they believe are caused by radiation exposure, primarily cancer.

"The Republic always grows stronger by recognising the limits of its action, by repairing everything that can be repaired, by paying tribute to all those who have played their part in our national history," said the Minister Delegate for the Armed Forces, Alice Rufo, who was in favour of adopting a "balanced" text.

The adopted text thus eliminates the precise exposure criterion, a dose of at least one millisievert (mSv) per year, currently in force, in favour of an "irrefutable" presumption of exposure. In practical terms, any person with a radiation-induced illness who is present in specific areas and during specific periods will be eligible for compensation, as will their dependents.