A promise of Emmanuel Macron's second five-year term, the reform of the status of Corsica was further materialized during the night from Monday to Tuesday.
Invited for nearly five hours at Place Beauvau, Corsican elected officials reached an agreement with the government on a draft
“constitutional writing”
providing for
“the recognition of a status of autonomy”
of the island
“within the Republic
,” said Gérald Darmanin.
If it has obtained a
“broad consensus”
among island elected officials, the draft agreement must now be subject to a vote in the Corsican Territorial Assembly.
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A “decisive step”
Despite displayed enthusiasm, Gilles Simeoni, the president of the Executive Council of Corsica, moderates his feeling of victory.
He certainly believes that a
“decisive step”
has been taken by enacting
“the principle of a power of a legislative nature, subject to control by the Constitutional Council”
.
But,
“the extent and modalities of exercise of this legislative power will fall under the organic law
,” he said this Tuesday morning on the air of France Bleu RCFM.
I would say that this evening we are in the semi-final, the semi-final remains to be won, and the final with an organic law which takes up, completes and develops the main principles which are intended to be fixed in the constitutional revision.
Also on his guard, Paul-Félix Benedetti, president of the independence movement Core in Fronte, puts the agreement reached with the Minister of the Interior into perspective:
“It is only a step forward.”
Pushing for
“a true status of autonomy with a transfer of legislative power, recognition of the specificities of Corsica in cultural, historical matters and land rights”,
the independence activist calls for an
“organic law” to “define the contours of these transfers of skills.
“If we indulge in blissful satisfaction, we can end up with nothing at all because everything is reduced to organic law,”
he is wary,
“waiting for the rest to come.”
A “red line”
For his part, Jean-Martin Mondoloni, leader of the opposition to the separatists in the Corsican Assembly
“remains determined to think that the granting of legislative power is a problem”
.
Without, however, wanting
to “take on the role of executioner of the process”.
A position which maintains doubt about his future vote.
Following suit, LR senator from Corsica-du-Sud, Jean-Jacques Panunzi, also says he is
“fiercely opposed to the legislative power”
that would be granted to the island.
While keeping in mind that others want to
“go much further”
in empowering the community.
At the national level too, the debate is divisive.
Invited this Tuesday morning to the microphone of Sud Radio, Éric Ciotti established his
“red line”.
“Autonomy for me is not a bad word, but I am opposed to legislative power being transferred from the French parliament to the Corsican Territorial Assembly
,” said the president of the Republicans (LR).
The leader of the LR senators, Bruno Retailleau, sees in this reform of Corsican autonomy an attempt to
“constitutionalize communitarianism”
.
“A dangerous step to take
,” according to him.