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Brittany one step closer to reunification

•   French National Assembly passes amendment that could allow referendum on the status of Loire- Atlantique
•  Pays de la Loire Region could no longer stop the department joining Brittany
•  Amendment can still be modified or stopped by Senate  & Constitutional Court
•  Move gathers strong support among Breton parties

Brittany is one step closer to reunification since the French National Assembly has passed an amendment that would allow a referendum to be organised on the status of the department of Loire-Atlantique. This department, with its capital city in Nantes, belonged to Brittany from the Middle Ages till the mid 20th century, when it was attached to the region of Pays de la Loire. The Breton national movement has since claimed that Loire-Atlantique should be reunited with the rest of Brittany. Several opinion polls show popular support for such a move, both in Loire-Atlantique and the whole of Brittany.

The amendment was introduced by several Breton MPs last December. It foresees that a department can be separated from one region and integrated into another one provided that one fifth of the members of the department's General Council and one tenth of electors support the proposal. A referendum can then be held, both in the department asking for the change and in the region to which the department wants to be attached. This means that Pays de la Loire could no longer stop Loire-Atlantique joining Brittany.

Now the issue must be voted in the Senate. According to Ouest-France, it is possible that some senators (especially the opposition Socialists, PS) want to amend the text that was passed by the National Assembly, where the conservative UMP holds a majority. If that happens, the political process will be longer and will be adjourned until the next term of office. France will hold presidential and legislative elections between April and June. Even if the Senate backed the move, the amendment could still be rejected by the Constitutional Court.

Breton parties strongly favour the move

All Breton parties have expressed the hope that, this time, reunification will see the light of day. The Breton Democratic Union (UDB) has asked for the start of a "democratic process" that leads to the "return" of Loire-Atlantique into a "complete Brittany". The Movement Brittany and Progress (MBP) wants the candidates to the French presidency to "invite senators" to vote in favour of the amendment. Also the Breton Party sees the move as a "reasonable hope" towards reunification. Only the pro-independence Breizhistance show a high level of distrust: while acknowledging that the amendment has "the merit of raising the debate in democratic terms", the leftist party believes that it will not bring "the administrative unity of Brittany" since it is a part of the "electoral game of PS and UMP".

Brittany/Breizh

General information
Population: 4.328.535 inhabitants (2009)
Area: 34,034 km²
Institutions: Brittany Regional Council and General Council of the Department of Loire-Atlantique
State administration: France
Major cities: Rennes, Nantes, Brest
Territorial languages: Breton and Gallo
Official language: French
Major religion: Christianity (Catholicism)
National day: Gouel Erwan (Saint Yves), 19 May

This article originally appeared on the Nationalia website and is reproduced here under a Creative Commons licence with acknowledgement and thanks to Nationalia. The article may be shared, copied and re-distributed under the same Creative Commons licence terms.

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