Elected officials from Corsica and Paris agree on a “constitutional” project around the “autonomy” of the island
The government and Corsican elected officials reached agreement on the night of Monday March 11 to Tuesday March 12 on a draft “
constitutional writing
” providing for “
the recognition of a status of autonomy
” of the island “
within the Republic
".
This additional step in this direction was welcomed by elected officials on the Isle of Beauty, even if the details of the measure have yet to be finalized.
Among the provisions provided for in the draft text, regional legislation could “adapt” the “laws and regulations” of mainland France for the island.
Here, the hemicycle of the Regional Assembly of Corsica, in Ajaccio on February 29, 2024. © Pascal Pochard-Casabianca / AFP
By: RFI with AFP
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Attached to France at the end of the 18th century, the Mediterranean island of Corsica maintains a complex relationship with Paris and has been crossed by demands
for autonomy
and even independence, which have sometimes taken the form of violent actions.
The local daily
Corse Matin
welcomed the proposal of “
real
” autonomy for the island on Tuesday.
“
White smoke Place Beauvau
” is the title of the newspaper in reference to the nickname of the Ministry of the Interior in Paris.
The daily believes that "
this time things are clear
" with a "
constitutional writing
" which provides, in the words of Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin, "
a normative power specific to Corsica, whether legislative or regulatory
" .
This power will be framed by an organic law defining the fields of competence in which it will be exercised and the conditions of its evaluation, Mr. Darmanin told the press after a meeting of nearly five hours at the ministry in Paris.
This draft agreement will now be sent to the Corsican Territorial Assembly for a vote, said Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.
This “
normative power
” was at the heart of the disputes between Corsican elected officials: the nationalists made it an unavoidable point, while the right-wing opposition elected officials only wanted a simple adaptation of the laws to the specificities of this Mediterranean island of nearly 350,000. residents.
Supporters of autonomy are in the majority in the local assembly.
Lots of steps to come
The president of the Corsican Executive Council Gilles Simeoni welcomed this “
very important progress
”:
I think that this constitutional writing enacts fundamental principles which are essential to true autonomy: the affirmation of this autonomy first, then legislative power.
Now, it is also true that the extent and modalities of exercise - in particular of this legislative power and its variations in the land, linguistic and fiscal fields - will fall under the organic law.
So if I had to use a sporting metaphor, I would say that tonight we are in the semi-final, we still have to win the semi-final and the final.
It’s part of the democratic fight we have to wage, we knew that before.
In any case, the decisive step that had to be taken this evening has been taken, so it is a very important step forward.
00:41
The President of the Corsican Executive Council Gilles Simeoni welcomed a “very important step forward” towards autonomy
Jean-Baptiste Letondeur
“
I remain determined to think that the granting of legislative power is a problem, but I am not going to take on the role of executioner of the process
”, for his part, reacted the leader of the right-wing opposition to the Corsican assembly Jean-Martin Mondoloni, leaving doubt about his support for the text in the local chamber.
“
It remains for this proposal of
“real”
autonomy to cross the threshold of constitutional revision
,” concludes
Corse Matin
.
Because the text accepted by the elected islanders and the government must still be voted on by both chambers of Parliament in the same terms, then adopted by Congress by a three-fifths majority.
It provides for “
the recognition of an autonomous status for Corsica within the Republic which takes into account its own interests linked to its Mediterranean insularity, to its historical, linguistic and cultural community having developed a singular link to its land
” .
Well before its analysis by the Upper House, the leader of Les Républicains senators Bruno Retailleau denounced on Tuesday a “
dangerous step
”, he wrote on X (formerly called Twitter):
Contrary to official proclamations, the project on #Corsica amounts to constitutionalizing communitarianism.
Recognizing “a historical, linguistic and cultural community” amounts to recognizing the notion of the Corsican people as stated last February 25…
— Bruno Retailleau (@BrunoRetailleau) March 12, 2024
Respect of the schedule imposed by Emmanuel Macron
The text “
respects both the red lines set by the President of the Republic and myself, and also the time allocated
” by Emmanuel Macron,
a six-month period supposed to end at the end of March
and lead to an agreement, underlined the minister.
At the end of September, the head of state spoke of a “
historic moment
” by proposing to grant “
autonomy
” to Corsica, whose nationalist leaders have long demanded increased skills.
Mr. Macron came to Ajaccio to close 18 months of discussions launched after an explosion of violence on the island in 2022, following the death of independence activist Yvan Colonna, attacked in prison where he was serving a life sentence for the assassination in 1998 by the prefect of Corsica Claude Erignac.
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