independence

However, if the question is open to other options, 33% would prefer a Catalan State within a Federal Spain, 31.8% the current situation as an Autonomous Community and 25.5% want Catalonia to be an independent nation. The poll results also show that 75.5% of Catalans want the Catalan Government to raise all the taxes, while only 18.2% prefer the current system through which the Spanish Government raises the main taxes. The poll was compiled by the Catalan Polling Centre (CEO), which is managed by the Catalan Government.

Kenneth Rogoff, currently professor at Harvard, predicts that Spain has a “high chance” of being rescued by the European Union. He also ads that, if it were not rescued, even France could fall.

The Catalan Parliament rejected a law proposal on Catalonia’s independence three days after the popular consultation process on the issue ended with a clear “yes”. This civil society voting was not an official referendum and it was not organised by public powers. It took place over the course of 18 months, and Barcelona closed the process on Sunday. 21% of the electoral census turned out (885.000 citizens) and 90% of the voters backed Catalonia’s independence from Spain. Members of the Catalan Government cast their vote, including the President.

If South Sudan citizens finally vote for independence, the Spanish Government will respect it and recognise their independence. However, the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trinidad Jiménez, announced that Spain would not review its stance on Kosovo. The Balkan country declared its independence from Serbia in 2008 but Spain is one of the 5 EU Member States that still refuses to recognise it.

Miquel Valls, president of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, says, “Catalonia is the first economic region in Spain, it makes up 19% of the GDP and has solidarity with the rest of the regions”.

Fiona Hyslop, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Scottish Government asks for the recognition of the right to self-determination for Catalonia and Scotland. In an interview with CNA, she claims for this right “recognised by the United Nations”.

The 11th of September is Catalonia’s National Day, commemorating the day that Catalan troops were defeated while defending Barcelona in 1714. This day Catalonia stopped being recognised as a nation and lost its self-government. Pre-campaigning for the upcoming elections was present throughout this year’s celebrations. The celebration had 2 institutional milestones: the flower tribute to Rafael Casanova, who was Barcelona’s Head Councilman in 1714, and the institutional ceremony at Ciutadella Park. Besides, many institutional and civil society activities were organised throughout Catalonia, such as concerts, demonstrations and tributes.

Recent polls and the massive demonstration in Barcelona on 10 July suggest a widening gap between citizens in Spain and Catalonia since the cuts in the Statute

Despite the International Court of Justice's decision, the Spanish Government decided not to recognise Kosovo as an independent state. Both the Spanish Government and Catalan nationalists see implicit parallelisms in both cases, although Madrid denies it.

Newspapers such as ?The Financial Times?, the ?Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung? and ?Le Monde?, online portals such as ?The New York Times?, ?The Washington Post? and the ?BBC World?, and TV News such as ?Euronews? and ?France 24? have all covered it

More than a million people have protested against the Spanish Constitutional Court¡s decision to trim Catalonia?s Autonomy. Today's demonstration is the largest in the history for greater self-government and against Spanish centralism.

The political unity against the Spanish Constitutional Court?s sentence on the Catalan Statute of Autonomy seems on the edge of being jeopardised by discussions about how to proceed and the organisation of the citizen demonstration on the 10th of July.

Joan Laporta ends his term as Barça?s president today. He has created a new political party called ?Democràcia Catalana? (Catalan Democracy) which has Catalonia?s independence from Spain as its main objective. This week he will announce that he is in the

The President of the Catalan Government, José Montilla, accuses opposition leader Artur Mas of being a ?separatist ashamed to say so? and shows distrust of those who offer "magic recipes" to solve the economic crisis.

Finn Erling Kydland says new political status would generate financial confidence and attract investment