France settles border dispute with the Netherlands — 400 years later

France's National Assembly approved legislation to formalize a 2023 border agreement with the Netherlands on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten, resolving a 400-year-old dispute. The treaty establishes legal clarity for an open border between EU territory (France) and the Netherlands' self-governing country (Sint Maarten), which emerged from an 1648 division of the island. Hurricane Irma in 2017 accelerated the resolution of recurring disputes over permits, law enforcement, and environmental management.