Catalonia's in(ter)dependence and europeanization

Some weeks after the referendum on independence was held in Scotland, Catalonia’s institutions of self-­government promoted the celebration of a similar consultation. Despite that it was declared illegal by the Spanish Constitutional Court, the Catalan Generalitat went ahead with the idea of organizing a public consult, which finally took place ‘informally’ on November 9. A majority of 80 per cent of those who participated in the consult voted for secession (‘Yes’ to both submitted questions to the electorate on self-­dtermination).Turnout was around 37 per cent of the registered voters.

Interdependence in the Old Continent goes beyond internal boundary-­building and the establishment of self-­centered compartments of governance, as happened with the old Westphalian nation-­states. Catalans have reiterated their support for encouraging further Europeanization, a process which many aim to make congruent with territorial subsidiarity and home rule.

The paper focuses on how the meaning of independence been constructed in contemporary Catalonia. It also elaborates on the relationship between independence and interdependence in the context of the ongoing process of Europeanization and the preservation of the European Social Model (ESM).