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 | | Wednesday, 19 December, 2001, 10:04 GMT No fanfare as Corsica deal passed  The new powers are more limited than first envisaged By James Coomarasamy in Paris The bill that has been passed granting limited autonomy to Corsica is a much watered-down version of the original text. It grants Corsica limited powers to adapt French laws in areas such as transport, culture and agriculture, but only after approval by the parliament in Paris. It also calls on the Corsican language to be taught in schools throughout the island, but does not make it compulsory. Gone too in the final version is an important clause allowing Corsica to opt out of a law limiting coastline development, removed after opposition from the Green Party.
The text was drawn up after a series of ground-breaking discussions between the government and local MPs, hailed as a great achievement for the socialist administration. But the initial optimism surrounding the bill has all but evaporated. There have been more than 100 small-scale bomb attacks on the island this year, and the French Government has been accused of capitulating to violence. It has also been attacked for acting against the constitution, and a group of MPs will now challenge the bill in the constitutional court. | | See also:  Internet links: The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top Europe stories now:  Links to more Europe stories are at the foot of the page. | |
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