Romandy Movement

The Romandy Association for Francophone Solidarity (French: Association Romande de Solidarité Francophone) (ARSF) was founded in 1959 by Roland Béguelin, campaigning for “the defense and interests of the French-speaking cantons of Switzerland”. In 1985, the Association was briefly renamed the Romandy Popular Movement (French: Mouvement Populaire Romand) before officially taking the name Mouvement Romand (MR).^[2]

In 1992, after the rejection of the referendum on Switzerland's membership in the European Economic Area, the MR strengthened its positions. Since then, the MR has defended the coordination of school programs between the French-speaking cantons, the creation of a French-speaking economic council, as well as the rapprochement between universities and consultation between cantonal executives.^[3]

In 1997, the MR submitted a petition to the Grand Council of Geneva, asking the Grand Councils of the French-speaking cantons to create a Parliament and a Council of French-speaking Ministers, elected by universal suffrage, by the year 2000.^[4] The petition was rejected by the municipal, regional and international affairs committee.^[5]

In the 2000s, the MR redefined its objective and positioned itself against “Anglicisms and Americanisms appearing on the national and international levels”.^[5]

At the beginning of the 2010s, the MR abandoned its project for independence.