Corsica has come one step closer to its goal of autonomous status as the French Mediterranean island's parliament on Wednesday voted by a large majority in favour of a text for a corresponding constitutional reform after hours of debate.
It is expected that French President Emmanuel Macron will now bring the reform proposal to the French parliament.
Corsican political leaders and French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin agreed on the text for autonomous status within the republic a fortnight ago after months of negotiations.
The agreement stipulates that Corsican politicians would be able to adapt laws from Paris.
In addition, a historical, cultural and linguistic island community that has a special connection to its land is to be recognized. It is unclear whether this could result in concrete benefits for Corsicans on the island, as hoped for by local politicians.
A majority in France's lower house, the National Assembly, is considered certain. In the Senate, however, it will likely take some convincing. The conservative Republicans, who have the upper hand in the chamber, are critical of the demand for Corsican politicians to have more influence over legislation.
Macron held out the prospect of autonomy for the island with its almost 350,000 inhabitants in the autumn. However, he emphasized that it was about autonomy within the republic, not against or without the state.
Relations between the island and the mainland have long been problematic. Corsican separatists fought for decades for greater independence, often by violent means.
The FLNC underground movement laid down its arms in 2014, as more moderate nationalists gained greater political significance. They currently hold a majority in the regional parliament and have been calling for autonomous status.
Tensions rose sharply following the death in a French prison of Corsican nationalist Yvan Colonna in 2022. Colonna was attacked by a fellow prisoner while serving a sentence for the murder of the French prefect of Corsica in 1998.
Protests erupted on the island, which were followed by the autonomy negotiations.