Paris With a Wary Eye on Brittany - 2 Billion Euros pledged to the "Restive Province"

The French news Site RFI reported last month that the French Government have pledged 2 Billion Euro to Brittany ostensibly as economic aid. The article describes the governments "Pact For the Future Of Brittany": "The government's Pact for the Future of Brittany promises 2 Billion Euros in aid to help workers declared redundant, restructure agricultural to make it more environmentally friendly and boost the region's economy."  The governments plan has met with mixed reaction from Brittany's trade movement groups and the Breton assembly barely approved with stiff opposition: "...right wing and centrist MPs and councillors opposed the Pact and boycotted the signing ceremony."

This initiative by Paris comes amid signs of growing Celtic nationalism in Brittany.  Violent demonstrations occurred in October against a planned "Ecotax" which was seen as disproportionately impacting the Breton agricultural sector.  In response to the unrest, which many observers saw as a sign of resurgence in Breton's Celtic identity, the French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault suspended implementation of the new tax.  Significantly, as reported by the algarvedailynews.com, the unrest has taken on disturbing signs of a mild type of geurilla warfare with increasing reports of sabotage against traffic cameras which are reported to have been "vandalised and burned".  The same report describes plans that are underway to form a congress of Breton organisations to "formally take up Breton grievances."

Prime Minister Ayrault also announced the French government's proposal on decentralisation which would transfer some administrative control to Brittany and called for the ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.  The ratification of this treaty by France will have huge implications for the Celtic language of Brittany.  The impact on the Breton tongue is suggested as follows in an article from the website Nationalia:

"The European Charter for Regional or Minority languages is a Council of Europe legal instrument that was adopted in 1992. Since then, it has been ratified by 25 European states. Each state can choose the level of protection granted to each of the languages ​​spoken in its territory. The Charter contains a range of measures which include the introduction of minority languages (Breton) ​​into the education system and the courts, their use in the administration, and fostering the media and cultural events in those languages.​​ Similarly, the Charter also provides that states must encourage contacts between linguistic groups speaking the same language but divided by state borders (Cornwall ?)."

http://www.nationalia.info/en/news/1708

http://algarvedailynews.com/news/1007-unrest-in-france

http://www.english.rfi.fr/culture/20131214-french-government-pledges-two-billion-euros-restive-brittany