The secession conundrum
Uncertainty over future EU membership has recently proved an
obstacle for separatist movements within EU member states – but do they
present a wider threat to the solidity of the EU?
Separatist movements across the EU have gained momentum in recent
years. Despite the many successes of European integration, the bloc
still has deep internal divisions. EU solidarity has been tarnished by
the growing appeal of nationalistic movements. These manifest themselves
both as Eurosceptic movements and as national independence movements.
A crucial element of these centrifugal forces has been the economic
crisis in Europe, which has fanned the desire for autonomy in
economically viable regions. Separatist movements now strive for
autonomy in Italy, Belgium, and France – but most notably in Spain and
the United Kingdom.
The cases of Catalonia and Scotland are examples of modern European
separatism. Independence movements in these regions regard themselves as
European in nature, believing that national independence within EU
structures will bring political and economic benefits.
In September 2015, Catalans voted in a decisive regional election billed as a ‘de facto referendum on independence’. Pro-independence parties in Catalonia won an absolute majority in the region’s 135-seat regional parliament. Following the result, Catalan lawmakers voted on a plan to achieve independence from Spain by 2017.
One year before the Catalan regional elections, Scotland held its own
independence referendum. More than 2 million voters (55.25 per cent of
the total) voted to remain in the United Kingdom. Throughout the
referendum, Scots were encouraged to vote against independence by a
coalition formed by Britain’s three largest political parties.
Catalonia, as Spain’s most powerful economic region, accounts for a
fifth of the country’s economic output. It has long been part of Spain,
but the region has deep roots as an independent state from the 11th
century and still preserves its language, culture, and autonomous
government. As for Scotland, by the 19th century it found itself as one
of the most important manufacturing hubs in the British Empire.
“We aspire to become a state and an ally of the states in Europe and in the world” said Raul Romeva,
a former Green MEP who led Catalonia’s separatist coalition in the
elections of September, 2015. That statement sums up what separatists in
Catalonia and Scotland wish to achieve: establishing normal
state-relations with other states in Europe, without a larger unit
forming an obstacle. “A perfect situation would be like the referendum
in Scotland”, said Romeva.
