Europe: back to the past?

Since last year Catalan separatist movement has acquired an international media attention. After the central government and the Spanish constitutional court prevented the Catalan government from holding a legal referendum on independence, the regional elections of the last 27 September were perceived “de facto” as a vote on this issue. The result is well-know: the national coalition Junt Pel Si, led by the President Artur Mas and the radical CPU, received the 48% of votes: so they obtained the majority of seats but not the majority of votes.

According to this scenario at the present moment there is a delicate situation: Artur Mas declares that the new parliament will take practical steps towards sovereignty, including creating a Catalan foreign office, tax authority, army and central bank, but they don’t have the votes required to present a secessionist instance to Madrid. Furthermore the central government doesn’t want to grant a legal vote to Catalonia deciding his independence, like England did with Scotland last year; the Prime Minister’s will, Mariano Rajoy, is to hold a referendum for the whole Spain about this matter.

However considering most of Catalans want to maintain the status quo it should be uncorrected: they desire a different relationship with Madrid, like for example a federal arrangement. In addition to this it is important to say that a lots of Spanish people live in this region ( around 46% speak Spanish as first language) and they could be not interested about this issue. The independence’s feeling has bee present in this region for a long time, despite to this is growing up only in recent years: in 2005, in fact mless than 40% of Catalans had this opinion. This because the economic crisis with his austerity measures and the impossibility to obtain an autonomous management of taxation, have complicated the relationships between Barcelona and Madrid.

This event is not simply an internal question but it has an European dimension: the President of European commission Jean-Claude Junker, says if a region of an internal state became a new one it loses the European status. Finally in the whole Europe there are similar secessionist movements: Scotland in UK, Bavaria in Germany, Britain and Corsica in France, Alto-Adige, Veneto and Sardinia in Italy just to mention the most important. What would happen if they realise their intention? Europe will be again in a new Middle-Age with a many small countries. Does make sense to build new states in the recent crisis of the modern state?