Michel Barnier a mentioned the island in a section of his speech devoted to a next stage of decentralization. “40 years after the major laws of decentralization, we must build a new contract of responsibility between local authorities and the Statedeclared Michel Barnier. We will respect the skills of these communities and we will look at opportunities to increase and strengthen them.”
“It is in this particular spirit” what “the Minister of Partnership with the Territories and Decentralization (Catherine Vautrin editor’s note) will resume the dialogue in particular with the elected representatives of the Corsican Community and socio-economic leaders”, clarified the Prime Minister without speaking, however, of either a process or an autonomy project.
The reactions of Corsican elected officials
Gilles Simeoni, president of the executive council of Corsica
“There are two reasons for satisfaction, but despite everything there is great uncertainty. First reason for satisfaction, the Prime Minister cited Corsica which he has established as a priority project for the government. Second reason for satisfaction, we are in a logic of dialogue for island issues, in particular that of the territorial continuity grant, with the appointment of Catherine Vautrin who we know knows the island well.
The element of uncertainty is that there is no response to the unanimous inquiry of the Corsican Assembly which requested, last week, the rapid resumption of the constitutional revision process which should lead to the autonomy. This is the level at which exchanges between Corsica and the State must be located today.”
Laurent Marcangeli, deputy of the first constituency of Corse-du-Sud, president of the Horizons group in the National Assembly
“I welcome what the Prime Minister said concerning Corsica. The state of mind, with the desire to resume discussions where they left off, is a good thing. I had campaigned for the Prime minister mentions Corsica in his general policy declaration on an angle of appeasement and resumption of work initiated since 2022 but also so that he mentions the economic and social aspect because there is not only a political problem in Corsica , there is also a problem of high cost of living; the difficulties for businesses are today strong. Catherine Vautrin with whom we must resume discussions, knows Corsica, she loves Corsica, she wants to take care of it and. I’ll help him.”
Jean Martin Mondoloni, territorial councilor co-president of the Un soffiu novu group at the Corsican assembly.
“I am satisfied to see that the dialogue will resume. But in this context, I wish to influence the content of the discussions. There is a majority fact around autonomy, but as far as I am concerned, I think that it is equally important to negotiate a major investment plan for Corsica A financial effort, as part of national solidarity, which would be spread over time, so that it does not weigh on public finances, in a degraded budgetary context. , as the Prime Minister recalled.
We must be able to carry out this request, with projects, to know how to present them. One section for water, one for infrastructure, one for waste and the energy transition. This work has not yet been done…”
Jean-Christophe Angelini, president of the PNC-Avanzemu group in the Corsican Assembly
“We were, during our political re-entry, the first group to request a mention relating to Corsica in the general policy speech of the Prime Minister. This clarification has now taken place, it is accompanied by the designation of a interlocutor in the person of Catherine Vautrin The landscape is therefore established, and for our part, we will subscribe to it, in accordance with the solemn resolution voted by the Corsican Assembly last Friday.
Marie-Antoinette Maupertuis, president of the Corsican Assembly
“We can be satisfied that Corsica was expressly mentioned in the Prime Minister’s general policy speech. And of the appointment within the government of Catherine Vautrin to take up the Corsican file. This is reassuring. The proposal for dialogue is commendable and we will answer it. On the other hand, Michel Barnier spoke neither of autonomy, nor of process, nor of constitutional writing. However, as was recalled by the almost unanimity of the Corsican Assembly and the executive council, Thursday. last, the first phase of the process is completed. It is therefore not a question of starting from scratch but of capitalizing on the work carried out over the past two years.
Paul-Félix Benedetti, president of the Core in Fronte group at the Corsican Assembly.
“The positive point is that the Prime Minister mentions Corsica in a general policy speech. The establishment of parity with territories which are seeking local sovereignty is a second one. What is less so is is when it connects to a path of generalized decentralization If we remember history, Corsica has always been the French laboratory of decentralization and if the head of government follows this historical logic, the first step of. a decentralization reform is an experiment in Corsica that there is room to move towards full autonomy.
The senator of Haute-Corse, Paulu Santu Parigi, attached to the Union Centriste group.
“We were very attentive to the Prime Minister’s speech, and we were waiting for a sentence on Corsica. Beforehand, we weighed in with the group to which I belong, so that Corsica would appear in the Prime Minister’s general policy speech. “Discussions will finally resume, I think it’s a very good thing. I strongly believe in it, even if the political conditions are not necessarily the most favorable, with a lack of majority in the National Assembly.”
Jean-Jacques Panunzi, senator from Corsica-du-Sud related to the Les Républicains group
“I listened to the Prime Minister, the remarks on the Corsicans were brief, and I am waiting to know if we are going to be included in general provisions, or if we are going to be treated separately. I am waiting for details from the from the head of government, on the resumption of discussions, the framework, but also on the overall strategy.
As it stands, I do not see how a bill on the autonomy of Corsica could pass the congress stage, given the political physiognomy of the National Assembly. How can we imagine, in fact, a discussion which would find a 3/5th majority in the Congress, that seems infeasible to me. For the dialogue to resume and be open is entirely feasible, but afterward…”.
Michel Castellani, Liot deputy, first constituency of Haute-Corse
“The important thing was that the Prime Minister mentioned Corsica and that he entrusted the file to Catherine Vautrin. It’s done. The main thing is still before us. How do we ensure the resumption of the process, under what form? Above all, on what basis, where the work stopped or are we starting from scratch?”
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