Macron's Catalonia: Corsica's Move Towards Larger Autonomy Follows Catalonian Quest for Independence

• 12.13.2017, 22:29
•  Europe,  World

The Nationalist coalition won a majority in the regional elections on the French island of Corsica and it is now calling for President Macron to negotiate the island’s independence. The governing Pe a Corsica (For Corsica) alliance won regional elections Dec. 10 with 56.5 percent of the vote, Euractiv reported.

The nationalist alliance was formed two years ago by independents Gilles Simeoni and Jean-Guy Talamoni.

After the victory, Mr Simeoni said Paris will have to “come to terms with what is happening in Corsica”, pressing President Macron to re-open negotiations on independence.

The alliance seeks greater autonomy from Paris, with a platform that includes the following principles: equal recognition of the Corsican language with French, amnesty for convicts considered political prisoners, and French recognition of a special Corsican residency status, intended to reign in speculative property acquisition by foreigners. The For Corsica wins give the group a majority in the assembly and increase the number of seats it holds on the governing executive council, - Stratfor writes.

The Elysée released a statement shortly after the victory, saying the manifesto put forward by Simeoni and Talamoni seemed 'ambitious' but independence is not on the cards.

Corsica's moves toward greater autonomy follow Catalonian attempts to split from Spain. Since Catalonia’s quest for independence, the rest of the EU has seen a domino effect that could put the Union into crisis as many of the major EU states have their own separatist movements.

According to The Express, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, has admitted “cracks” are appearing in the EU after Catalonia declared itself independent of Spain.

Among the Spanish regions with a ticking claim for independence also the Basque Country and Galicia.

As for Corsica, it is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is located southeast of the French mainland and west of the Italian Peninsula, with the nearest land mass being the Italian island of Sardinia to the immediate south. A single chain of mountains makes up two-thirds of the island.

While being part of Metropolitan France, Corsica is also designated as a territorial collectivity by law, and thus enjoys a greater degree of autonomy than other French regions; for example, the Corsican Assembly is able to exercise limited executive powers.

The island formed a single department until it was split in 1975 into two historical departments: Upper Corsica and Southern Corsica, with its regional capital in Ajaccio.