CATALONIA INDEP MOV- SPAIN

1. Intro. Catalonia is in northeastern Spain. Barcelona is the region’s capital.

2. Reason for Separatist Mov.

a. Financial Reasons. Catalonia is the richest region in Spain and the most highly
industrialized. It houses many of Spain’s metalworking, food-processing,
pharmaceutical and chemical facilities. It also boasts a booming tourism industry. The
region has about 16 percent of Spain’s population and accounts for 20 percent of the
national economy.Catalans often complain that they contribute more in taxes to the
Spanish government than they get back. In 2014, Catalonia paid about $11.8 billion
more to Spain’s tax authorities than it received.

b. Historical Reasons. Some Catalans consider that Catalonia has really never been
part of Spain "voluntarily", and that their will for independence can be traced back for
many centuries. As they see it, they have never been "comfortable" being part of Spain,
and have always felt somehow "dominated" (oppressed?) by Madrid and/or Castilian
culture. Some put a big emphasis on their obvious differential characteristics (especially
in the Catalan language, but also other cultural traits, etc.), which they see as an
incontestable proof of the very clear, insurmountable, differences between Catalonia and
the rest of Spain.
3. Latest Mov

a. On 1 Oct 17, , Catalonia held an independence referendum that the Spanish

government declared illegal and undemocratic. Still, more than two million people
showed up to vote and were met by Spanish police determined to stop them. Hundreds
of people were injured as police physically dragged them from makeshift polling
stations. The next day, the Catalan government announced that 90% of voters opted for
independence, but overall turnout was only around 42%.
b. On Oct. 5, Spain’s Constitutional Court stepped in to suspend a Catalan parliament
session, which could have been used to officially declare independence. The session
eventually went ahead on 10 Oct, during which Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont said
the region had won the right to independence, but then declined to make a formal
declaration. Spain wasn’t sure what that meant so prime minister Mariano Rajoy told
Puigdemont to clarify his intentions. Puigdemont then missed two deadlines from
Madrid to spell out whether the region was declaring independence or not, and instead
sent a letter requesting time for “dialogue.”
c. Sticking to his own schedule, Rajoy activated Article 155 of the Spanish constitution on
Oct. 21. This gives Madrid the power to dissolve the regional government in Catalonia,
assume control of its functions, and call a new election. The catch: it’s never been used
 before, so there is no guide to what invoking it means in practice. Formally triggering the
article needs to pass the Senate in Madrid, which is underway now. Puigdemont has
dubbed this one of the “worst attacks against the people of Catalonia” since Spain’s
military dictatorship under Francisco Franco.

4. European Ctys Stand on this Issue

a. The European Union does not want to get involved, and it defers to Spain. Immediately
after the vote for independence, European Council President Donald Tusk, tweeted:
“For EU nothing changes. Spain remains our only interlocutor. I hope the Spanish
government favors force of argument, not argument of force.”

b. British Prime Minister Theresa May said last week that “people should be abiding by the
rule of law and uphold the Spanish constitution.”

c. Nicola Sturgeon, first minister of Scotland offered quiet support for the independence
effort. And politicians in Flanders who have called for secession from Belgium
sympathize with Catalans and wonder if their region might be next.

d. In Italy, the far-right Northern League, which wants more autonomy for Italy’s north,
spoke out against the arrest of Catalan leaders.