It seems that the long-term economic crisis is finally over in Europe, but the continent is still unstable. For every reason for optimism there is always a new reason for concern.
In June 2016, by a minimal majority, British voters chose nostalgia for the past, for the XNUMXth century, rejecting any perspectives that the XNUMXst century could open for them. They decided to jump off the cliff in the name of "sovereignty". There are many facts that testify that Great Britain is in for a hard landing. A cynic could say that this blow can soften the proper functioning of "sovereignty".
In Spain, the government of the autonomous region of Catalonia is now also demanding sovereignty. However, today's Spanish government does not monitor, arrest, torture and punish the Catalan people as the dictatorial regime of Generalissimo Franco once did. Spain is a stable democratic country, a member of the EU, Eurozone and NATO. For several decades, the country has adhered to the rule of law in accordance with a democratic constitution agreed by all parties and regions, including Catalonia.
On October 1, the Catalan government held a referendum on independence in which less than half (according to some estimates one third) of the region's citizens participated. According to EU and OSCE standards, that vote cannot be declared "free and fair". The referendum was not only illegal from the point of view of the Spanish constitution; there was not even a voter list that would allow determining who has the right to participate in it.
Catalonia's "alternative" referendum provoked a sharp reaction from Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government, which intervened to close polling stations and prevent people from voting. It was an act of political stupidity of the highest order, as photos of police officers beating unarmed Catalan protesters with batons provided false legitimacy to secession supporters. Democracy cannot win in conflicts like this. In the case of Spain, such harsh measures are reminiscent of the civil war of 1936-1939. year, and it is the deepest historical wound in the country to this day.
If Catalonia were to truly become independent, it would have to look for ways forward without Spain or the European Union. Spain is acting with the support of many EU countries, which are concerned about its own separatist movements, and it would begin to block any attempts by Catalonia to join the EU or the eurozone. And without membership in the European common market, Catalonia faces the dark prospect of a rapid transition from a powerful economic center to an isolated and poor country.
The independence of Catalonia would create a fundamental problem for Europe itself. Starting with the fact that nobody wants a repetition of the experience of the breakup of Yugoslavia, for obvious reasons. But what is even more important - the EU cannot encourage the disintegration of the countries that are its members, because those countries are precisely the foundation of the Union.
The European Union is an alliance of nation states, not regions. Although regions can play an important role within the EU, they cannot represent alternative member states of the alliance. If Catalonia sets a precedent of secession, prompting other regions to follow suit, the EU will enter a deep, existential crisis. In addition, it can even be assumed that in Catalonia the very future of the EU - no more, no less - is at stake.
The original goal of the EU was to overcome the shortcomings of nation states through integration rather than disintegration. It was supposed to become higher than the state system that led to such disastrous consequences in the first half of the XNUMXth century.
Look at Northern Ireland, which has become an ideal example of how integration within the EU helps to overcome national borders, build bridges over historical misunderstandings, and also to ensure peace and stability. By the way, the same can be said for Catalonia, which finally achieved practically all of its economic successes with Spain's entry into the EU in 1986.
It would be historically absurd for the EU state to enter the phase of disintegration and disintegration in the XNUMXst century. Well, only the size of other global players, partly China, India and the USA, make it extremely necessary to strengthen relations within the EU and deepen European integration.
We can only hope that reason will prevail, and above all in Barcelona, and also in Madrid. A democratic, united Spain is too important to be endangered by disputes over the distribution of tax revenues among the regions. There is no other alternative for both parties than to get out of the trenches they have dug, start negotiations and find a solution acceptable to all, which is in accordance with the Spanish constitution, democratic principles and the principle of the rule of law.
The experience of Spain's friends and allies may prove useful here. Germany, unlike Spain, is organized as a federation. Yet in Germany, nothing is as difficult and complicated as the endless negotiations on budget transfers between the federal government and the regions, that is, essentially, between rich and less rich regions. However, at the end of it all, the parties always reach an agreement and it is implemented until a new dispute breaks out: at that moment, negotiations begin - all over again.
Yes, of course, money is important. But not so much as a pan-European commitment to freedom, democracy and the rule of law. Europe's prosperity depends on peace and stability, and peace and stability in Europe depends, above all, on the willingness of Europeans to fight for these values.
The author was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany 1998-2005; he played a key role in the founding of the German Green Party, whose leader he was for almost 20 years
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2017.
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