An Independent Catalunya in the EU

As some of you will have noticed from the blog list on the right, an important research paper on what will happen to countries such as Catalunya, Euskadi, Flanders, Scotland and of course Wales with regard to the EU when they become independent has just been published by Dr Antoni Abat i Ninet, visiting professor of law at Stanford University, California.

     

One slight problem is that it's only been published in Catalan so far, though I would expect an English version to be available before very long. We can get a flavour of what it says through Google Translate ... but for a paper that deals with legal and technical issues, it probably won't be enough. However this post from Oriol Junqueras seems to shed most light on what's been happening:

The president of the European Free Alliance (EFA), the Flemish Nelly Maes, and the President of the parliamentary subgroup in the European Parliament, the Welsh (and increasingly popular in Catalonia) Jill Evans, met some days ago with the President of the European Council, Van Rompuy, to explain the priorities of the EFA for this term. One of the topics that was addressed at the request of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (the left of centre pro-independence party) was the consultation process of self-determination in Catalonia. In December Jill Evans, along with other members of the Alliance, came to Catalonia to see the first wave of referendums at first hand.

Van Rompuy was interested in the concept of internal enlargement that we have developed in the EFA, and about which Professor Antoni Abat i Ninet has written a report (pdf) ... very interesting, by the way, I recommend reading it. The report is published by Sobiranistes Studies Center (ESC) and advocates the feasibility and ease-of-entry to the EU once Catalonia declares independence, with solid political and legal arguments.

The President of the European Council, Van Rompuy, said he loved the concept of internal expansion as it was defined by the EU. On the one hand, you'd expect me to say that as a matter of courtesy, but on the other it is also true that the EU is very interested in any political project has a pro-European vision. One of the biggest problems in the EU is Euroscepticism, and the EFA advocates a policy of independence 'within the EU' clearly and unequivocally.

Incidentally, Van Rompuy's brother is a fervent supporter of Flemish independence. So we might suppose he would see and understand the benefits of internal enlargement ... or in any case would not have a distorted picture.

Anyway, these are small details that I think we should take on board to build trust and credibility into the Catalan independence project.

Oriol Junqueras, 15 March 2010

This meeting with Van Rompuy seems to be quite an advance, since previous attempts to raise questions in the EU about what would happen when our countries become independent have been met with less clear answers. And this of course has led to scaremongering by Unionist politicians that we would be thrown into outer darkness if we dared to become independent ... and that what was left of the UK would veto our application to join anyway. The paper by Dr Antoni Abat i Ninet will add yet more weight to counter that argument.

For the EFA report on Jill Evans' and Nelly Maes' meeting with Herman Van Rompuy, click the picture:

     

And I have been meaning to write an update on the situation in Catalunya for the past few weeks. I'll try and make time.