France: Macron talks of autonomy for Corsica
In a speech to the Corsican regional parliament, French President Emmanuel Macron held out the prospect of more autonomy for the Mediterranean island. An "autonomy à la corse" - within the republic - would be a desirable, he said. Macron was reacting to the growing support for Corsican nationalists and a wave of violence following the fatal injury of the nationalist Yvan Colonna in spring 2022.
Betraying the legacy of the French Revolution
Macron is breaking with the spirit of the Republic, constitutionalist Benjamin Morel rages in Le Figaro:
“The Republic is first and foremost the universality of the law, which is the same for everyone, and has been since the night of 4 August 1789. However, if a head of state declares himself willing to negotiate - 'without totem or taboo' - a form of autonomy that could go as far as granting a territorial entity legislative power, then he de facto ceases to exercise his function as guardian of the institutions. The Republic is the unity of the legislature. This principle has not been called into question by anyone since the French Revolution. A president of the Republic must act as its most unyielding guardian.”
The president has shown courage
L'Opinion praises the initiative as a courageous and urgent compromise:
“Certainly, Emmanuel Macron can be accused of sacrificing a little of the country's unity. But the challenge is huge: breaking through the logic of conflict, which - especially among young people - means stopping the recurring trend of the the independentist illusion. Finding an agreement means introducing a status that does not conform to the Republic without running counter to it.”