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Sánchez Fuels Catalan Independence

REFLECTIONS FROM MY TRIP TO BARCELONA

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So Pedro Sánchez is now the Prime Minister of Spain, having cut a deal with the Catalan separatist party, Junts ( Together for Catalonia) give him a majority of votes. This has caused outrage throughout Spain with tens of thousands of Spaniards taking to the streets to protest. This deal gives Junts, a tiny party with only seven seats in the Parliament enormous leverage to continue pushing for Catalan independence. And it also means amnesty for the hundreds of those who were prosecuted for participating in the illegal; independence referendum in 2017, especially the former Catalan President, Carlos Puigmont who has been living in exile in Belgium.

I lived in Barcelona from 1999 to 2004, was the unofficial spokesman for the American community as the President of the American Society of Barcelona, and have been back many times. Here are some reactions based on that experience as well as two tripos to Spain this year.

Spain ( pop. 47 million) has 17 autonomous regions, of which Catalonia is the second largest with a population of about 8 million. Spain also has five official languages – Castilian Spanish, Valenciano, Gallego, Basque and Catalan. Barcelona is Spain’s second largest city; its metropolitan area has about 5.7 million compared to 6.8 million for Madrid, Spain’s capital.

These autonomous regions are constantly negotiating with the central government, especially over taxation issues. Catalonia is the only region, however, where independence remains a burning issue.

In my opinion, this is an obviously terrible idea that would cause the Catalan region enormous economic damage if implemented. Why?

First, Catalonia would be unable to be a member of the European Union with all its benefits. Membership requires unanimous approval of the EU countries and obviously Spain would be a “no” vote.

Second, the headquarters companies from other countries that use Barcelona as their Spanish location would quickly move to Madrid, thus gutting the Catalan economy.

Third, the balance of Spain would boycott goods from Catalonia.

What we observed as residents there was a sense of superiority – Catalans thinking they were better than the rest of Spain because their economy was stronger. But was it stronger because Catalans were smarter? No. There were other factors such as a border with France that facilitated trade, excellent seaports, and prime agricultural land in the north. As for Barcelona, a huge tourist destination, the draw for tourists isn’t something created by the Barcelona of today; it is the result of great artists of the past like Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró and Antonio Gaudí. After all, Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia receives more than 3 million visitors a year.

Sánchez Fuels Catalan Independence

It always seemed to me that the independence movement was a distraction from the fact that the Catalan and Barcelona governments were rife with corruption and inefficiency. American companies trying to do business in Barcelona used to tell us that it was the most difficult business environment they had ever encountered.

In addition, taxation is always an issue – the division of tax revenues between the autonomous regions and the central government. This is an area where Spain’s central government has failed.

What next? Sánchez’s move has clearly reignited the ugly Catalan debate. The increasing animosity between the citizens of Catalonia and those of the rest of Spain is a tragedy. It’s the job of leaders like Sánchez to find a way to alleviate this.

Having said that. Let me say a few more positive words about our trips to Spain last spring and then again in late September and early October.

First, the environment is completely different than here in the US. The friendliness and courtesy of the Spanish people is light years ahead of the animosity and tension that is so prevalent here. For example, we were in Sevilla for the Fiesta de San Miguel during which the hotels and restaurants were packed with people and the waiters and other staff were overwhelmed with work. This never, however, diminished their sense of courtesy and good cheer.

The major issue there wasn’t politics; it was economics. Low salaries, for example. One cab driver told us that his daughter was about to get her nursing degree but that she would probably have to move to England because the salaries there were three times higher than in Spain. This is the kind of problem that needs to be resolved, not Catalan independence.

Spain is, in essence, my second home. We will be visiting again in March and hope that this independence movement doesn’t continue to tear it apart.