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French President Emmanuel Macron visiting the southern French island of Corsica

Photo: Pascal Pochard-Casabianca / dpa

Corsica's status has long been a contentious issue in French politics. Now President Emmanuel Macron has commented on this – and has accommodated demands for more independence for the island. "Let us have the audacity to create autonomy for Corsica in the Republic," Macron told the Corsican parliament in Ajaccio.

"This autonomy should be a means to shape the future together, without detachment from the state," Macron said. "It will not be autonomy against the state, nor autonomy without the state, but autonomy for Corsica and the Republic."

Macron speaks of a "historic moment"

The president announced that an agreement would be reached within six months to move the project forward. Macron sees his proposal as a fundamental change in the relationship between Corsica and the French state.

At the beginning of his speech, Macron spoke of a "historic moment". He also said that he was in favour of enshrining the specificities of the island's population in the French constitution. This was a demand of Corsican nationalists. According to Macron, he is not opposed to recognizing the historical, linguistic and cultural characteristics of the island community in a separate article of the French constitution.

Macron also held out the prospect of the Corsicans being able to enact laws in certain, pre-defined areas. The Corsican language should also be better taught. The institutional changes were intended to allow Corsica to preserve its soul and identity within the framework of the Republic.

For decades, Corsican separatists fought for more independence, often by force. The underground organization FLNC laid down its arms in 2014. At about the same time, moderate nationalists gained political importance. They now have a majority in the regional parliament and are demanding autonomy status.

A year and a half ago, it became clear how conflict-laden the topic is. At that time, the Corsican nationalist Yvan Colonna, who was imprisoned for the murder of a French prefect, died after an attack in a French prison. In Corsica, the protests were triggered by violent riots. For months, the government sounded out a new relationship with representatives of the island.

til/dpa