Macron skips EU summit to visit cyclone-hit island Mayotte

PARIS — Emmanuel Macron will not attend Thursday’s European Council meeting in Brussels as he heads to Mayotte, a French oversea territory in the Indian Ocean coping with the aftermath of a devastating tropical cyclone.

Macron will be represented at the council by his German counterpart Olaf Scholz, “in accordance with established practice between France and Germany,” the French presidency said in a statement. He will attend Wednesday evening’s EU-Western Balkans summit in Brussels, it added.

According to an official from the Elysée Palace, the conclusions of the European Council summit have been “pre-agreed” and there are no “drafting issues” that are likely to emerge. “The French positions were included in the preparations phase,” said the official in a briefing with the reporters. 

Macron will however attend Wednesday evening’s EU-Western Balkans summit in Brussels, and will have a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said another Elysée official. 

It is not yet confirmed whether the French president will attend a meeting Wednesday evening with Zelenskyy, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and several European leaders, that would focus on the possible deployment of a peacekeeping force to post war Ukraine.

Tropical cyclone Chido struck Mayotte on Saturday, causing extensive damage to both lives and infrastructure. As of Tuesday evening, the official toll stood at 22 dead and 1,373 injured. However, local authorities warn the death toll could reach several thousand.

Efforts to determine the exact number of casualties have been hindered by the island’s significant population of undocumented migrants and its predominantly Muslim tradition of burying the dead within 24 hours, according to the Interior Ministry. The cyclone also affected communication capacities, with the telecom network being unavailable on 80 percent of the territory according to local media, making it even more complicated to assess the situation.

EU Commission chief Ursula Von der Leyen expressed her solidarity with the people of Mayotte and said she was “ready to coordinate emergency aid from Europe.” Mayotte is currently facing water, food and fuel shortages.

Macron has announced a day of nationwide mourning, the date of which has not yet been set.

Clea Caulcutt contributed to this report.

This story has been updated.