Corsica Autonomy Bid Faces Setback After French Senate Vote
(MENAFN) France’s Senate voted down a proposed constitutional reform granting greater autonomy to Corsica on Monday evening, dealing a blow to negotiations that began in 2022 over the Mediterranean island’s political status.
The bill was defeated by 181 votes to 134 after the Senate’s right-wing majority introduced substantial changes to the version previously approved by the National Assembly, according to reports.
Among the amendments were the removal of the term “island community” from the proposed constitutional provisions and restrictions on the special powers that Corsica could receive under the reform.
Following the rejection, Paul-Toussaint Parigi, a senator representing the autonomist Femu a Corsica party, announced that his political movement would leave the Beauvau process, which was established to negotiate the island’s future status.
The initiative began in 2022 at the request of President Emmanuel Macron under then-Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. Its objective was to establish an autonomous status for Corsica while keeping the island within the French Republic.
"An archaic majority chose tonight to destroy a balanced political agreement that was painstakingly built and offered hope […]. Under these circumstances, we are withdrawing from the Beauvau process,” Parigi said.
Gilles Simeoni, the mayor of Bastia and a leading advocate of Corsican autonomy, said the island’s representatives had worked to secure a political settlement but encountered resistance to the process.
The Senate’s decision has therefore intensified uncertainty over the future of negotiations on Corsica’s constitutional status and the extent of powers that could be transferred to the island’s authorities.
The bill was defeated by 181 votes to 134 after the Senate’s right-wing majority introduced substantial changes to the version previously approved by the National Assembly, according to reports.
Among the amendments were the removal of the term “island community” from the proposed constitutional provisions and restrictions on the special powers that Corsica could receive under the reform.
Following the rejection, Paul-Toussaint Parigi, a senator representing the autonomist Femu a Corsica party, announced that his political movement would leave the Beauvau process, which was established to negotiate the island’s future status.
The initiative began in 2022 at the request of President Emmanuel Macron under then-Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. Its objective was to establish an autonomous status for Corsica while keeping the island within the French Republic.
"An archaic majority chose tonight to destroy a balanced political agreement that was painstakingly built and offered hope […]. Under these circumstances, we are withdrawing from the Beauvau process,” Parigi said.
Gilles Simeoni, the mayor of Bastia and a leading advocate of Corsican autonomy, said the island’s representatives had worked to secure a political settlement but encountered resistance to the process.
The Senate’s decision has therefore intensified uncertainty over the future of negotiations on Corsica’s constitutional status and the extent of powers that could be transferred to the island’s authorities.
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