Corsica's parliament votes in favor of a statute that could pave the way to autonomy. There is no shortage of critics. It remains to be seen whether Paris will agree.
Corsican graffiti in Bastia: “People, wake up” Photo: abacapress/imago
PARIS taz | The Corsican parliament, the “Assemblée de Corse”, approved on Wednesday evening a constitutional text that provides for the recognition of the Mediterranean island with its historical, cultural and linguistic peculiarities within the French Republic. This is a first step on the institutional path towards autonomy, promised to the Corsicans by President Emmanuel Macron in September 2023.
A dialogue on the matter had already begun, after the demonstrations over the death of the Corsican nationalist Yvan Colonna. He was fatally wounded in an attack by a fellow inmate in a prison.
There he was serving a long prison sentence for his role in an assassination attempt against the French police prefect in 1998. Prison authorities had previously refused to transfer Colonna from the mainland to a detention center on the island. They were therefore accused of being complicit in the death of the Corsican nationalist.
After long preliminary discussions, the Corsican autonomists, who have had a majority in regional institutions since 2015, agreed with the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, on a procedure and a text that should anchor a statute of autonomy for Corsica in the constitution of the Republic. French. After being approved by the Corsican Assembly, the constitutional amendment will first be submitted to a local referendum in Corsica (about 340,000 inhabitants) and then to the two national parliamentary chambers in Paris.
Unique binding
The text explicitly mentions the existence of a “historical, linguistic and cultural island community that has developed a unique and close bond with Corsica over the centuries.” However, it is also planned that island authorities may adapt certain rules in the future and receive certain legislative powers, as well as limited fiscal sovereignty.
However, a specific concern of the autonomists was not clearly taken into account: protecting local residents from real estate speculation. The Corsican language is increasingly promoted, but is not recognized as an official language.
Therefore, the most radical wing of the Corsican separatists considers that this compromise, accepted by a large majority in Ajaccio, is only partial autonomy, “nothing historic,” says lawyer Jean-Guy Talamoni, former president of the Assembly of Corset. He considers the result of the dialogue with the central power “insufficient.”
For other reasons, a part of the right-wing opposition in Corsica voted against the statute. They see a risk in the transfer of fiscal powers. It is also uncertain whether the French Senate, with its conservative majority, will approve the statute. The president of the Senate, Gérard Larcher, opposes any legislative concessions to the regions. This should be left exclusively in the hands of the national parliament.
The guardians of the Grail of centralism, who oppose all regionalist efforts, are represented in large numbers in Paris. Therefore, it is doubtful that the parliamentary chambers united to form the Congress, the members of the National Assembly and the Senate, will approve the constitutional amendment with the required three-fifths majority. This change aims to give Corsica the desired independence, but at least a certain degree of autonomy, after decades of conflict with murders and state repression.