French president Emmanuel Macron on Thursday gave his backing to a status of autonomy for the Mediterranean island of Corsica, a region that is often at odds with rule from Paris., reports RFI.
In a 40-minute speech to Corisca's elected representatives, Macron said it was time to build constitutional autonomy for the island, but without any disengagement from the French republic.
"It will not be autonomy against the state, nor autonomy without the state, but autonomy for Corsica and within the republic," Macron told the island's parliament in Ajaccio, which is currently controlled by nationalists.
"We should have the courage to establish a form of autonomy for Corsica within France ... We would all be failing if we left things as they are."
Corsica shot to the top of the French political agenda last year when widespread violence broke out over the killing in a mainland prison of the nationalist Yvan Colonna.