France’s Emmanuel Macron presides over a crumbling of France’s external relevance and authority – notably in Africa, culminating in the expulsion of the French ambassador and troops from Niger.
But the foreign misadventures of a former colonial power are not the sum of Macron’s worries right now.
The French island-region of Corsica is seeking independence from the mainland. Serious high-level began after an outbreak of violence on the island, in 2022.
Pro-independence activist Yvan Colonna, was serving a life sentence in Arles prison for the 1998 assassination of Corsican prefect Claude Erignac in Ajaccio.
After he was attacked and murdered behind bars, violent demonstrations took place.
Now, in a speech to the Corsican Regional Assembly, Emmanuel Macron proposed a constitutional text to build Corsican autonomy ‘within the French State’.
Euronews reported:
“‘It will not be autonomy against the State, nor autonomy without the State, but autonomy for Corsica and within the republic’, he explained.”
The negotiations process culminated on Wednesday (28) in a dinner at the Ajaccio prefecture, where the parts put their cards on the table.
“[Macron] promised ‘a constitutional and organic text to be submitted for approval within six months’ to Corsica’s elected representatives, which would give them ‘the possibility of defining standards on different topics or transfer of powers’ under the control of the Council of State and the Constitutional Council.
The French President spoke of Corsica’s inclusion in the constitution and of the specific characteristics of the island community. He also called for better teaching of the Corsican language, proposing the creation of a ‘public education service to promote bilingualism’.”
Macron called for an ‘institutional stage’ that will ‘enable Corsica to preserve its soul and identity’ while still remaining within the bounds of the Republic.
Macron: “‘Future generations can combine the richness and strength of being Corsican and French. Corsican because they are French. French because they are Corsican. European and Mediterranean, all at the same time’.”
Macron’s proposed limited autonomy for Corsica is a modest step toward the rampant nationalist sentiment on the Mediterranean island.
Associated Press reported:
“The [Corsica] island is home to more than 340,000 people and has been part of France since 1768. But Corsica has also seen pro-independence violence and has an influential nationalist movement. In 1998, in an assassination that stunned the country, pro-independence activists shot dead France’s top official on the island, Claude Érignac. Other violence has been mostly low-level, often involving bombs planted in cars or buildings overnight, when no one is inside.
Macron didn’t go into great detail about what powers might be transferred from Paris to a more autonomous Corsica. He said that he favors changing the French Constitution to recognize ‘the specificities’ of Corsica’s island community. A constitutional change would require French parliamentary approval.
‘This is how we will turn a page that was marked by somber hours and be able to open another’, Macron said.”
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