Catalonia Autonomous Region of Spain has officially took its independence demand to European Union, Catalan seperatist leader Mas says Northern Spain is Catalonia and ready for EU membership.
Barcelona / NationalTurk – Spain’s Catalonia has taken an official step to be recognized as an independent state. President of the Autonomous Region Artur Mas made contacts about the issue in Brussels. During his contacts Mas said Catalonia wants to stay within the EU and the Euro currency.
Catalan leader Artur Mas on Wednesday (7 November) challenged the EU’s ambivalence on the rise of regionalism in the Union by saying it would be “illogical” not to accept small, rich, pro-EU Catalonia as an automatic future member if it splits from Spain.
Speaking at a press conference after his meetings Mas said EU should be able to present solutions to Autonomous Regions within seeking independence within the EU.
Catalonia’s regional leader sought to call the European Union’s bluff on Wednesday over a rising tide of national fragmentation and secessionism within the EU, demanding to know what Brussels will do if some of the union’s member states splinter for the first time in EU history
Increasingly at odds with Madrid over the legality of his drive to secure a mandate for a Catalan independence referendum, Artur Mas, the liberal nationalist prime minister of Catalonia who has called early elections for later this month in a bid to obtain that mandate, insisted that if a new country emerged from the Spanish turmoil a separate Catalonia would be entitled to remain a member of the EU inside the euro single currency zone.
Stating that Catalonia wants to change its political status Mas said they don’t like Madrid’s approach to their demands.
As Spain has long been struggling against an economic crisis, the ruling party introduced higher taxes, to which Catalonia Autonomous Region responded with more demands for financial independence from the central government.
When Catalonia’s demands were turned down, the Autonomous administration called for snap elections on November 25.
A recent poll suggests, 81% of Catalonians want a referendum on independence after November 25 elections. Mas, who is hoping that a 25 November election in Catalonia will give him a mandate to begin moving toward independence, said the northern Spanish region already meets criteria for EU membership.
Polls also suggest that 53% of Catalonians want independence from the Spanish government. If Mas’ Convergence and Union Party should emerge as winners in the 25 November elections, the Catalan leader will take it as a green light to pursue independence of Catalonia from Spain.
The “ultimate” in the Catalonia Independence process would be a independence referendum. After that Barcelona can be the Catalan National Team and a member state of EU.
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