The independence movement in Catalonia seeks greater autonomy and independence from Spain, based on their cultural, linguistic and historical differences. The problem has persisted for years, fueled by economic hardship and political marginalization. The 2017 Catalan independence referendum resulted in a 90% vote in favor of independence, but it was ruled unconstitutional by the Spanish government, and Catalonia declared unilateral independence.
This led to political unrest, including the imprisonment of Catalan leaders.
Which seems to be unfair at first glance, even reminiscent of the era (1939-75) of General Franco, when the minority cultures of Spain – Catalan, Basque, Galician – were suppressed.
But consider that only 43% of registered voters voted, and not voting could be seen as a vote for the status quo. The same was true for Brexit, where only 37% of registered voters voted “Leave”. If the United Kingdom had followed the same logic, "Remain" would have won.
Without going too far into the political aspect of the matter - which I do not consider myself qualified to speak on, although I lived in Barcelona during the 1980s and learned the Catalan language there, and even participated in the second International Congress of the Catalan Language in 1986 – for me it is rather difficult to see why Catalans want to leave a prosperous and modern country within the European Union. If they leave Spain, they also leave the EU, and it could take years to be allowed back in.
And it was a very left-wing Catalan – a member of the National Left Movement in the 1980s – who told me that if Catalonia were to separate from Spain, it would be “Goodbye Spain” in terms of the economy. Since Catalonia is the richest and most advanced region of the Spanish State, with 16% of the population but which produces 19% of the GDP. "Independence" is foremost an economic movement.
And consider one more thing.
The “Catalan Countries” (“Països Catalans” or PP.CC. in Catalan) are not only the four provinces of the Catalan autonomous region today – Barcelona, Tarragona, Lleida and Girona – but also the country of Valencia to the south. , and the Balearic Islands and Pityuses – Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera. And also what is called “Northern Catalonia”, that is to say the French department of Pyrénées-Orientales, around the city of Perpignan.
It is a slice of Catalonia beyond the Pyrenees, whose native laws and traditions were suppressed when it was annexed by France in 1659 and whose language was abolished by Louis XIV in 1700. This same Louis XIV who, also in 1700, was able to say, during the proclamation of his grandson Philippe d'Anjou as King of Spain, “There are no more Pyrenees!"
When North Macedonia gained independence in 1991, the Greeks – because Greece has a historical region called Macedonia – became concerned about this appropriation of a name that they considered properly theirs. The new republic had to be known as the “Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”. Otherwise is it possible that the Catalans would start looking at Northern Catalonia as belonging to the “República Catalana”?
Once the independent state of Catalonia was established, would there be claims to Catalan land in France? And what would be the result? Would we see the secession of the Pyrénées-Orientales from France? It is certain that there would be a strengthening of Catalan nationalist feeling in and around Perpignan. There would still be Pyrenees, of course, but with a resurgence of nationalism in the west among the Basques – perhaps such an independent Basque (Euskadi) state, although the Basques these days seem content with autonomy - would there still be Pyrenees in France?
