Political crisis over Catalonia deepens while Spain's Prime Minister asked for power to oust Catalan leader and to impose direct rule in the North-Eastern region of Spain on Friday. Political analyst and commentator Sergio Castaño Riaño told Eurasia Diary that it is necessary to return to the end of the 19th Century and to the beginning of the 20th Century to understand what is currently happening in Catalonia.
Sergio Castaño Riaño - Commentator and political analyst. Author of several books and articles about the current political situation in Europe
The nationalist movement emerges in this period and found a relevant number of followers that defended Catalan singularity until 1939. When Franco won the Spanish Civil War nationalist movements were forbidden and even the use of the Catalan language given rise to the emergence of a clandestine movement operating inside and outside Spain.
After Franco's death democracy was restored in Spain and Catalan nationalist political parties gained representation in Central Parliament in Madrid and in the Regional Parliament as well. In the beginning they defended Catalonian interest, only few people spoke about the segregation of Catalonia from Spain.
However, the consequences of the economic crisis in Catalonia in 2008 brought serious, and sometimes, dramatics consequences to Catalan society and more people began to consider the possibility of creating a new country. These circumstances were used by nationalist parties to elaborate a discourse showing the ideal rich and healthy country by achieving the independence from Spain.
For a very long time Nationalist have been ruling regional Catalan government, they had all the competences for education and have developed an educational system based on highlighting Catalan singularity regarding other territories in Spain.
Foreign powers behind this crisis
Mr. Sergio Castaño said that the majority of the most powerful countries in the world have shown their rejection to the Catalan Independence Process. However, some countries contraries to the EU and its traditional allies could be on favor of create instability in one of the relevant EU countries to cause the end of the European integration project. Cultural diversity in Europe means the existence of singularities in most of the countries. The independence of Catalonia could represent the beginning of a chain process that would lead to fracture many of the current EU members.
Is Catalonia's independence real? EU's future
According to him, in present context, it is not possible to see Catalonia as an independent country.
"EU economy is global and all the territories are integrated. Since the last 1st of October the most relevant Catalan companies have decided to leave the region looking for security in other Spanish cities. The possibility of remain outside of the EU is really dangerous for the companies and this is one of the weakness of the Catalan process."
On the other hand, political analyst stated that the EU's future needs strong countries. The goal of the EU is moving towards the integration of the countries and is completely contrary to establish new border within the EU territory
Social atmosphere in Spain and its part Catalonia before and after the crisis
"We are attending to a real social division both inside and outside Catalonia."
If you go to Barcelona, you can see hundred of pro-independence activists who hang Catalan flags on the balconies, but on the contrary if you travel all around Spain many people have decided to show Spanish flag in order to express rejection towards the possible division of the country.
He also said that tensions between pro-independence activists and opposition side have always existed, but nowadays, as consequence of political defiance and permanent challenges on the street and even on the television social division is more pronounced.
Sergio Castaño underlined that Catalonia's independence can cause chaos and domino effect for other conflicts within EU. It is not coincidence that after Catalonia's independence efforts, Milan and Venice also expressed their wish for the independence referendum.
"We do not need to go very far away, near Catalonia and inside Spain there is a similar problem in the Country Basque."
Current Basque politician are moderated and realize that in present context it is complicated to go ahead with the possible independence, but the independence of Catalonia would open new possibilities to retake Basque claims.
Farid Hasanov
