Catalonia will hold regional elections on September 27. A coalition of pro-independence parties has pledged to set the processes in motion for the autonomous region to separate from Spain by organizing an official independence referendum if they won a majority.
MOSCOW
(Sputnik) — The European Union will force Madrid to recognize a
Catalonian secession from Spain should local parliament and government
agencies in the region unilaterally declare independence, the
coordinator of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) in the State
of Florida told Sputnik.
According to ANC's Julia Strubell, Brussels would "force Spain
to recognize Catalonia's independence… as the EU does not want a long
drawn out political and economic conflict inside its borders."
Many
in Catalonia have long sought independence from Spain, accusing Madrid
of constraining the region's economic and cultural autonomy and
of unfairly distributing resources in the country.
Over 80 percent of Catalans who participated in an unofficial
November 2014 vote supported seceding from Spain. More than two million
people out of an estimated 5.4 million eligible voters took part in the
informal, non-binding ballot. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has
repeatedly said that Catalonia’s secession would be illegal.
"I imagine (without any inside information!) that smaller countries would be the first to recognize Catalonia’s independence. Ireland, Denmark, Baltic States, Slovenia, Israel…" the ANC coordinator in the State of Florida said.
She added that hypothetical Catalan membership
in the bloc is a separate issue but "a pragmatic organization like the
EU will not want a wild state, which China, for instance, would love
as a European partner."
"The agreement [between the bloc and the Catalan authorities] will
come quick, either in the form of freedom of movement or full
membership," Strubell pointed out.
"After over two years living in the United
States, I have seen clear support for democracy among American people.
In this freedom-oriented country, it is hard for them to understand why
Catalonia hasn’t been allowed to decide its own future through a
referendum, as Quebec or Scotland," Julia Strubell said.
Commenting on potential international recognition of Catalan
independence, should it be declared by local authorities there, Strubell
said that smaller states are more likely to be the first to acknowledge
the step."I imagine (without any inside information!) that smaller countries would be the first to recognize Catalonia’s independence. Ireland, Denmark, Baltic States, Slovenia, Israel…" the ANC coordinator in the State of Florida said.
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