“The general will is there”, greets Gilles Simeoni

There remain “balances to be found” but the “autonomy status” is acquired, assures the autonomist president of the executive council of Corsica.

The constitutional reform project allowing autonomy for Corsica is “potentially historic, but remains to be realized”, greeted Tuesday February 27 on franceinfo the autonomist president of the executive council of Corsica, Gilles Simeoni. At the end of a long dinner Monday evening, Place Beauvau, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin estimated that the State and the elected representatives of Corsica were making progress “towards a consensus” on the process supposed to lead to possible autonomy for the island.

“The dinner and especially the exchanges last night [lundi soir] allowed us to move forward with the prospect of a common writing of the constitutional revision which is planned before the end of Junehe summarized, even if we are not yet at the final result”. “In any case, the will on our side and the general will are there”rejoiced Gilles Simeoni. “It is expected that the envisaged constitutional inscription will make explicit reference to the fact that Corsica benefits from an autonomous status”he continued, believing that this was‘”one of the achievements of the meeting” between Gérald Darmanin and local elected officials.

A “recognized” power to adapt laws

Even if there remains “balances to find”recognizes Gilles Simeoni, “we will have taken a big step, I hope, by the end of 2024”. “The idea is to find a political and legal construction that allows us to gradually succeed” to autonomy for the island.

“The text, which is not final, provides that three categories of regimes continue to coexist.”

Gilles Simeoni, autonomist president of the executive council of Corsica

at franceinfo

“First, the full and complete application of national lawexplains Gilles Simeoni. Then, a capacity for adaptation which is recognized both in the government and in Parliament, which can adapt the national law according to the specificities of Corsica. he elaborated. A power to adapt laws “also recognized by the autonomous community of Corsica”, specified Gilles Simeoni. Finally, the president of the Executive Council of Corsica returned to the implementation of normative power, “including of a legislative nature” And “which can be exercised by the autonomous community of Corsica in the case of a certain number of powers”.

For the president of the island executive, the inclusion of Corsica’s autonomy in the Constitution is “an issue of symbolic, political and historical recognition”. This also allows, according to the elected official, “to provide responses adapted to daily challenges in the economic and social fields, in the field of land protection, in the field of economic development”.