romeva

Four Members of the European Parliament representing three Catalan parties have asked the European Commission and the European Council to declare their position regarding the linguistic immersion model in place in Catalonia’s schools. The four MEPs are reacting to a series of court decisions deriving from Spanish Supreme Court sentences and to Spanish Government initiatives against the current Catalan school model, which has been in place for the last 30 years and guarantees knowledge of both Spanish and Catalan. In fact, this model has already been praised by the European Commission, in 2007. The four MEPs represent the Centre Right Catalan Nationalist Coalition (CiU), the Catalan Green Socialist and Communist Coalition (ICV-EUiA) and the Left-Wing Catalan Independence Party (ERC).

They say that European legislation foresees the cancellation of the voting rights of an EU Member State if there is “a clear risk of serious […] and persistent breach” of the common values. The four MEPs denounce “the military threats” and “the tone used by the People’s Party and the Spanish Government”. They have sent a formal letter to the European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, Viviane Reding. They ask the EU to be vigilant and “to evaluate the real risks of a potential military intervention” by Spanish forces against Catalonia. If such a risk existed, the EU should suspend Spain’s voting rights in the European Council.

Members of the European Parliament from Catalan parties have asked the European Commission “if it would suspend Spain’s rights as a Member State of the European Council in the case that force was used against the decisions of the Catalan Parliament”. They have also asked the President of the European Parliament (EP) “to adopt measures if Vidal-Quadras does not publicly apologise”. The Vice-President of the EP, the Catalan Alejo Vidal-Quadras, famous for his Spanish nationalist stance, said yesterday that the Spanish Government should “suspend Catalonia’s autonomy” and “send a general to lead the Guardia Civil” in order to take control. In the past few days, Spanish nationalists and retired army members have threatened a military intervention if Catalonia insists in its self-determination process.

Despite being the 13th most widely spoken language in the European Union, Catalan is not an official EU language. Special agreements have been signed with all EU bodies to allow for the minimum use of Catalan; however, the European Parliament, representing EU citizens, is the only one where Catalan has been completely banned. The new Parliament’s President, the German Social-Democrat, Martin Schulz, is committed to allowing Catalan MEPs address the plenary in their native language. The measure will not represent any extra cost as many of the Spanish interpreters are Catalan, and can do both jobs.

In order to foster transparency, almost all the Catalan Members of the European Parliament have asked the European Commission to supervise the Catalan Government's budget, and other “regions of systemic importance”. Catalonia’s GDP is as big as that of Finland and Portugal. MEPs from CiU, ERC, ICV, and the PP believe that this procedure will prove Catalonia’s reliability and rigour, and will subsequently have a positive effect on the international financial markets. The PSC is looking at possibly joining the initiative.