Catalans from every walk of life gave sweeping support to Catalonia’s new Charter of Self-Government when they backed it to the tune of 74% in the referendum held early this summer. The election results confirmed Catalonia’s position as a pioneer in the reform process of self-government now taking place in several different regions of the European Union.

 

Catalonia was one of the leading engines in the process of shaping Spain’s structure based on autonomous regions during the 20^th century. With the new charter that is now in force, now well in the 21^st century, Catalonia has taken another giant leap forward in the political decentralisation of Spain. And in terms of the even wider process of European integration, it has done so by recognising explicitly and for the first time in October – and in agreement with Spain’s central government – the Catalan government’s authority to undertake foreign activities and participate in the EU decision-making process.

 

 

Approval of the charter coincided with the twentieth anniversary of Spain’s (and Portugal’s) membership of what was then the European Communities. Four years before joining, Catalonia had created the Patronat Català Pro Europa with the mission of providing information and training and raising Catalan society’s awareness of what joining the EU would entail, and its specific impact on Catalonia. When Spain became an EU member state, the Patronat Català Pro Europa opened its doors in Brussels to ensure Catalonia’s presence among the ranks of all its European interlocutors. But, it would not be until 2004 – under the current government – that the Catalan delegation in the EU capital was granted official status.

 

In light of the fact that the new self-government charter guarantees that the Government of Catalonia may maintain its own relations with the EU, it is fitting that the first decree to be approved, marking the outset of the charter’s implementation, should strengthen the Catalan government’s European presence. The decree also refers by name to the Brussels delegation by its formal new title: Delegation of the Government of Catalonia before the European Union. Over and above whatever symbolic value this may have, Catalonia has thus become the first autonomous community to have an official delegation to the EU that is expressly contained in its charter of self-government. This statutory endorsement endows it with greater strength to defend and promote Catalan interests, along with a greater ability to act and participate in different aspects of the EU’s decision-making processes.

 

The delegation today hosts a variety of public organisations from Catalonia that have established EU headquarters in Brussels. These include the Consortium for the Commercial Promotion of Catalonia and the Catalan Institute of Cultural Industries. In both cases, the change marks a consolidation of Catalonia’s presence and coordination in the EU capital.

 

In recent years, under the government led by Pasqual Maragall, a variety of issues have been promoted that aim to enhance Catalonia’s voice in Europe. In 2004, the Spanish government and all of the country’s autonomous communities signed an agreement that would allow one member of a regional government to take part in certain formations on the Council of the EU. Catalonia is among the communities that participate the most actively, and has represented the other autonomous communities in the environment, youth and culture councils. Thanks to the new charter, this agreement may well be further expanded as it states that Catalonia may represent and even lead the Spanish delegation on certain Council of the EU issues, should it have exclusive competences in the matter at hand.

 

The charter outlines the framework for Catalonia’s participation in the Spanish decision-making mechanisms where they affect EU-level issues, at both consultation and participation levels. Catalonia’s greater involvement in European affairs will also help to bring Europe closer to its citizens, and thus pave the way for greater participation in European projects and initiatives. This has certainly been the case for the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euro-Region that was created in 2004 with the aim of helping Catalonia, Aragon, the Balearic Islands, Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées pool forces to create in the north-western Mediterranean region a pole of sustainable development based on innovation, diversity and social and territorial inclusion.

 

To this end, Catalonia is now embarking on a range of innovation and research initiatives that are intended to meet the challenges of the Lisbon Agenda. One is BioRegió, a new regional development model whose mission is to enhance citizens’ quality of life by coordinating biotechnology activities in Catalonia, primarily in the realm of the life sciences and the agro-food sector.

 

Catalonia’s ambitions embrace not just Europe but the wider Mediterranean, which for both geographical and historical reasons is becoming an outreach priority. Catalonia sees the emergence of the Mediterranean area as one of peace and prosperity for all its citizens, and as a meeting point of civilisations and cultures, as a vitally important goal. With the aim of breathing new life into the political impetus that began in 1995 when the Barcelona Process was launched, and to take advantage of the 10th anniversary marked by the Euro-Mediterranean Conference in Barcelona, Catalonia has organised a series of high-level events that deal with such issues as territorial cooperation with sub-state entities and gender perspectives. And as Barcelona is home to the European Institute of the Mediterranean, Catalonia intends to take over the reins of leadership and help to shape a true Euro-Mediterranean policy based on dialogue, cooperation, exchange and solidarity amongst the peoples on both shores.

 

Through its actions and what it believes has been a dynamic policy approach, Catalonia has continuously striven to participate actively in the shaping of the European Union’s present and future, without forgetting its past.

 

www.gencat.net; www.infoeuropa.org.