French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday threw his weight behind a status of autonomy for Corsica “within the French Republic”, though warning that any devolved powers for the Mediterranean island must be agreed with the French state – and not “against” it.
Addressing the Corsican Assembly during a trip to Ajaccio, Macron said it was time to “build autonomy for Corsica within the Republic”, describing the move as “historic”.
“We need to move forward, and to do that we need to include Corsica in our Constitution,” he told the assembly dominated by Corsican nationalists, some of whom advocate independence from France.
The French president set a six-month deadline for the government and Corsican political parties to agree on a proposed revision to the Constitution, which would then be examined by parliament in Paris.
“This will not be autonomy against the state, nor autonomy without the state,” he warned.
Macron’s government had floated the prospect of autonomy for Corsica in the run-up to France’s presidential election last year, hoping to calm days of violent protests sparked by the death in jail of Corsican nationalist Yvan Colonna.
Corsican nationalists, who include both separatists and advocates of autonomy, have long clamoured for greater powers for the island and recognition of Corsican as an official language.
Such demands remain highly sensitive in France, where politicians routinely tout the need to protect the country’s unity and national identity.
After decades of violent struggle, Corsica’s nationalists have embraced the democratic process over the past decade. But experts warn that patience is wearing thin amid mounting frustration at the lack of progress.
