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Catalonia, Spain, and Europe are Better Together

Nov 7, 2019 Pedro Sánchez

No state would ever allow the unilateral secession of a territory that forms part of its constitutional order. And no democrat should support the path taken by Catalonia's separatist leaders, who won less than 48% of the votes cast in regional elections.

MADRID – Above all, Europe is freedom, peace, and progress. We must move forward with these values and make Europe the leading model of integration and social justice that protects its citizens. The Europe we aspire to, the Europe we need, the Europe we are building is based on democratic stability within member states and cannot accept the unilateral breach of its integrity. The Europe we admire has been built on the principle of overlapping identities and equality for all citizens, and on the rejection of nationalist ideologies and extremism.

For this reason, the challenge of separatism in Catalonia, devised against and outside Spain’s constitutional framework, and silencing the majority of Catalans who are against independence, is a challenge for Europe and Europeans. Preserving these values in Catalonia today means protecting the open and democratic Europe for which we stand.

Spain enshrined these values in 1978, when it created and ratified a fully democratic constitution. That historic document was endorsed by almost 88% of voters in a referendum. In Catalonia, support and turnout were even higher: some 90.5% of Catalans backed the new constitution.

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0 Comments on this paragraph, 19 Comments on this article

Ricard Crespo Baquero Dec 30, 2019

I am Catalan, I am also the son of Spanish parents living in Madrid.

For years I have felt ashamed of what is happening in Spain with respect to Catalonia. For years I have felt ashamed of what is happening in Spain regarding its own institutions.

Amazing how people who have appropriated the Spain concept have made fun of their own institutions and their most loyal territories.

What is happening now in Catalonia, what is happening in Spain, is nothing more than the consequence of the shameful acts that the political representatives and the supposed "representantes del Estado" have committed against their own homeland for decades.

Spaniards, be honest when you read your own recent story.

Of these moods these sludges. Now, let's find a way out among everyone.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Alejandro Millan Mon Dec 29, 2019

It is not only the secession of Catalonia, the question is the destruction of Spain in a similar way to what happened to Yogoslavia. Who would benefit from that? Not the common spaniards: catalonians, galicians, castilians, andalucians,... Maybe some corrupt catalonian politicians would. They would pass swiftly from prison to palace.
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Samuel Milder Nov 12, 2019

"...separatism in Catalonia, devised against and outside Spain's constitutional framework..."?

What a short-sighted and skewed framing of the issue...

I lived in Catalonia back in 2006, and remember the autonomy statute that attempted to revise the relationship of powers between Madrid and Catalonia. It was passed within the constitutional framework, navigating both the regional and national democratic processes, and approved democratically, only to be struck down by the constitutional court. I also remember that many of the passages of that document that were found to be unconstitutional were in fact mirror images of passages in existing autonomy statutes in places like Andalucia and Galicia that did pass constitutional muster.

I also remember that the separatist movement (that had been polling below 30%) really took off following the failure of the statute. If anything, this is a story of the constitutional actors playing hardball to prevent a popular, democratically agreed policy from passing into law, and then sending in riot police to deal with public protests. If this is the response that the Spanish state takes to people working through the constitutional order, is it any surprise that Catalans would radicalize and seek other methods?
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reachout andtouch Nov 12, 2019

This person shouldn't be given a platform here. He has denied the right of self-determination to the Catalan people, accommodated the brutal physical assault on people defending a free election and stood idly by while people were arrested for political actions.

Keep in mind that the Catalan issue has been growing since the 00s when the Spanish government refused discussion on reforming the Estatut which covers Spain-Catalunya relations, and the Spanish government has refused to talk to Catalan authorities ever since. The current crisis is the direct result of Spanish incompetence and disdain for acknowledging people's aspirations.

The author compounded his disgraceful actions by refusing to compromise and work with another party with similar goals to him, and as a result allowed a far-right misogynist party to increase its support and become the third largest party in parliament. He should be ashamed of himself. He should call a binding referendum on independence in Catalunya immediately and then resign in disgrace.
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Xavier Castillo Nov 11, 2019

"Contemporary Spain is Europe’s second most decentralized country". Not true. Spain could be a decetralized country if the Autounomous Regions had proper financing for the services they provide. This is one of the root causes of the catalan problem.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Eric Steinberg Nov 10, 2019

While I find separatism and nationalism of any sort to be idiotic, I think the stance of the Spanish state is dictatorial fear rather than a respect for law and belief in democracy. Catalans would have voted against separation exactly like the Scots and Québécois had they been given the chance to hold a proper referendum. Instead, the corrupt Spanish government chose to make a referendum illegal, to use force to attack their own population and to prosecute the political leaders opposing them.

No country or constitution is more important than its citizens. The people come first, the country and constitution derive all their power from the people not the other way around. I am surprised that Pedro Sanchez does not appear to understand this, no wonder he has had such a hard time forming a government. I wonder what he will write when the Spanish Supreme Court sedition rulings are overturned by the human rights court? How will he have any credibility then?

The best lesson in enlightened rule can be learned in Le Petit Prince by Saint-Exupery. When the little prince responds to the king’s orders to sit and to stand in the negative, the King finds enlightenment and orders the prince to sit or to stand as he wishes. By giving an order that gives power to his subject the king legitimises his rule. If only the national Spanish political parties and the king could suddenly become so wise.
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lesnoi lesnoi Nov 10, 2019

Catalan is not Spanish, and Spanish "integration" means death of Catalan language and identity. Spanish people has a history of destroying other nations - in America all great indigenous civilizations were wiped out by Spanish conquest, I have a strong feeling the same is going to happen in Europe this time. And I esp. like this passage - " We can speak and listen to each other without threats or belittlement" - that is after imprisonment of elected Catalan authorities! Free these people first, and then talk with them. This article is nothing but piece of Spanish government propaganda.
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Alexandre Blasi Nov 10, 2019

Did you hear any opinion from a Catalan? What are their grievences ? Depending on how you count you will have more thant 50% majority in favour of independence
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Andrew Benington Nov 8, 2019

Isn’t it time the EU was honest with the people of Scotland and Catalonia. Their independence movements are both relying on immediate EU entry. Yet Spain, France, Italy and Germany all have regions that would quickly head towards independence, breaking up those nations, if this happened. Hence both, and any that followed, would have to wait 2 or 3 decades, perhaps longer, as an independent state relying on WTO rules before negotiations started on EU membership.
One has to wonder at the EU commission’s and memberstate’s negotiations with various parties and factions in British politics, undermining the unity and democratic choice of the British people. Clearly support has been given, alternative negotiations conducted, with out the agreement of the British government or civil service. It seems a dangerous path to tread for a region dependent on British voters paying £60 billion pa to provide a British military whose pointed purpose is the protection of Europe.
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Bernhard Kopp Nov 7, 2019

I do not claim any particular competency on the Catalonia/Spain issues. However, in a pluralistic, representative democracy it should be possible to work out compromises that work. Any break-up of historic countries seems to be nonsense. If Catalans cannot live and work with Madrid under the roof of a common state, and monarchy, how would they expect to become respected in Paris, Rome, Berlin and elsewhere ? They might be considered as " difficult " and may well be left to themselves. Coincidentally, the latter also applies to the Scots.
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antin antin Nov 7, 2019

How on earth could anyone argue that a state could forbid a region to split from it? This is exactly the freedom of peoples, in Europe established at least since 1919 and the splitting of Empires as the Austrian Empire in Central Europe.
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Luis BG Nov 7, 2019

It seems more a journalist's article rather than a President's article. All about rhetoric and empty words. What we (Spaniards) need to know as future voters is: which is the political position of our President (and his party) regarding to the way as we organize the territory and the way we integrate the different feelings into the same country. The Constitution is 40 years old. Maybe it would be obsolete and all together we can update it to XXI century needs. Modern democracy is also not to be afraid of changes.
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stephan Edwards Nov 7, 2019

I note the EU considers secession a wonderful thing if the Scots or Northern Ireland or even Gibraltar do it. But it is EEEVVVVIIILLL and wrong if it happens in Spain. I wonder if the EU is always this Hypocritical or if this is a special occasion?
- 龚志诚ｔａｒｄｉｓＧｏｎｇ Nov 11, 2019
  
  The relationship between the police and the demonstrators in this article can be applied to Hong Kong, but Europe has a completely different attitude on Hong Kong issues.
  A new reply to this comment has been posted.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
.. .. Nov 7, 2019

It seems more a journalist's article rather than a President's article. All about rhetoric and empty words. What we (Spaniards) need to know as future voters is: which is the political position of our President (and his party) regarding to the way as we organize the territory and the way we integrate the different feelings into the same country. The Constitution is 40 years old. Maybe it would be obsolete and all together we can update it to XXI century needs. Modern democracy is also not to be afraid of changes.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Michael Public Nov 7, 2019

The oldest argument in the oppression book : it is against the law to seek freedom.

By that logic the US should belong to England, China should belong to Japan and Spain should belong Morocco.
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Gerard Otin Nov 7, 2019

Pedro Sanchez do not understand the catalan problem. Or if he understands, he looks another way to gain votes.
Spain has a problem of judicial independence.
More than 70% of catalans wants a referendum.
There are civil leaders jail to organize a peaceful protest. Aigain: there are civil (and also political) leaders who are jailed because they did participate in a civil act.
In the condemn emitted by judge, it is not clear what responsabilities are attributed to any of them, even they attribute the responsibilities of one ministry to another person which nothing had to do with that.
That is level of the justice (and politics) in Spain. We have to see criminals going away in freedom, and civil liberties coactionated in the name of democracy.
Furthermore, in the recent debates about the new elections coming, we see everyone talking about Catalonia, except the catalans. To decide in Madrid what is good for Catalonia is not democracy.
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