The complexity of the centre and the periphery when it comes to territorial matters and identity is a distinctive feature of the Spanish political system. This feature is shared with other plural democracies such as Belgium, Canada and the UK (and, to a lesser extent, Italy and Switzerland)
ENGLISH
Catalonia-dossier-elcano-october-2019
SPANISH
Cataluna-Dossier-Elcano-Octubre-2019
Previous dossier: Catalonia’s independence bid: how did we get here? What is the European dimension? What next? (Updated: 19 January 2018).
Outline
- The territorial pluralism of Spain and the “State of Autonomies”
- Catalonia: its significance, internal diversity and extensive powers of self-rule
- Explanatory factors and the sovereignty process (2012–2017)
- Subsequent political developments since 2018
- A comparative perspective: Brexit, Scotland and other manifestations of independence
- Attempts to “internationalise” the conflict
- Lessons learned and potential solutions
1. The territorial pluralism of Spain and the “State of Autonomies”
- The complexity of the centre and the periphery when it comes to territorial matters and identity is a distinctive feature of the Spanish political system. This feature is shared with other plural democracies such as Belgium, Canada and the UK (and, to a lesser extent, Italy and Switzerland).
- Nonetheless, Spain is one of the few states in Europe that has successfully preserved its national integrity. In contrast to the rest of the continent, Spain’s borders have remained unaltered for five centuries and there has not been a single territorial change in the last two centuries (colonial possessions aside).
Read complete excerpt and full pdf Dossier English and Spanish
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