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Catalonia as an independent nation must be able to demonstrate the criteria of the European Union requirements that are the political, economic and judicial criterias.Once they demonstrate they can meet all these criteria they enter into a series of negotiations with the European Union.

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The European Union opposed of Catalonia independence because they don't wish to see Spain split. But in case of catalina independence the European Union is a democratic political entity and they can be elections if Catalonia wants to be part of the European Union.

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Mr Puigdemont continues to defy the Madrid government but it is also unclear just how much of the Catalan population do genuinely want to leave Spain or indeed the EU as it will involve a major economic shock. They are likely to no longer be able to use the euro as currency and will initially have no access to financial markets.

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Catalonia has always seen itself as separate from the rest of Spain as it has historically had its own regional government.

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“When I see an actual flesh-and-blood worker in conflict with his natural enemy, the policeman, I do not have to ask myself which side I am on.” ― George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia

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“When I see an actual flesh-and-blood worker in conflict with his natural enemy, the policeman, I do not have to ask myself which side I am on.” ― George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia

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“If there were to be a ‘yes’ vote in favor of , then we will respect that opinion. But Catalonia will not be able to be an EU member state on the day after such a vote,” Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said on YouTube and broadcast by Euronews.

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How Spain Misunderstood the Catalan Independence Movement

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How Spain Misunderstood the Catalan Independence Movement

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Today, millions of citizens of the Spanish region of Catalonia hope to vote in a referendum to declare their independence. Spain's government refuses to such independence. The country’s constitutional court has declared the referendum illegal, and the national police have arrested 14 senior Catalan officials and confiscated millions of ballot papers. Judges have ordered the police to seize any building or materials related to the referendum to ensure that a vote does not take place. These actions have prompted mass protests, and Spain’s Interior Ministry has deployed thousands of extra police to the region ahead of what it expects to turn into a violent day.

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Catalan parliament voted to declare independence from Spain and break away on October 1st 2017. On this article, several factors will be analyzed and explained about the actual situation in Catalonia.

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Catalonia's separatist government has declared independence from Spain - but at the same time the national government in Madrid imposed direct rule on the region.

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“there will be no referendum” has been Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s favourite refrain over the last few weeks

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“there will be no referendum” has been Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s favourite refrain over the last few weeks

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How people are feeling about Catalonia's effort to be independent

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How people are feeling about Catalonia's effort to be independent

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Catalonia once was an independent region, during history its independence was taken away. They always had the hope that they would be independent again one day. Since the economic crisis in Spain had grown they want to be more and more independent each time. This article will be about how people in Spain feel abandoned and ignored by Catalonia.

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in my article im going to talk about how the people and police are fighting in Catalonia, how tension is running out and police out in force and protesters advocating their right to vote and people is being shot with rubber bullets.

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in my article im going to talk about how the people and police are fighting in Catalonia, how tension is running out and police out in force and protesters advocating their right to vote and people is being shot with rubber bullets.

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Tensions are running high in Catalonia, with riot police out in force and protesters advocating their right to vote being shot with rubber bullets. At the time of writing, more than 300 people have been injured and at least one person is currently undergoing surgery as a result of clashes between police and protesters.

Police repression, the arresting of politicians and the intransigence of the Spanish government ("there will be no referendum" has been Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's favourite refrain over the last few weeks) make the temptation to simplify this into a simple left-right or good-bad discourse tantalising. But this issue is far from simple.

Both sides in this debate are using the referendum to further their own political agendas. Spain's governing party, the Partido Popular (PP), is a right-wing party housing a spectrum of thought from neoliberalists to the hard-line right. The ruling party in Catalonia, PDeCAT, is a centre right party of the Catalan bourgeois which has historically been the natural ally of PP and not a traditional supporter of independence. Interestingly, their move to advocate a referendum has stopped their support from dropping in recent months.

Alongside this, neither the national government nor the Catalan parliament are strangers to corruption in politics. PDeCAT has been plagued with allegations of corruption, debate around which has receded significantly as demands for independence have increased. PP, for its part, has often sought conflict as a means of garnering public support. Positioning this referendum and the spectre of independence as a threat to Spanish citizens and their economic future - as well as tugging on the strings of nationalist patriotism in demanding the continued unity of Spain - PP has engaged widespread support. In recent days, Spanish flags have poured from windows and balconies, and in towns throughout Spain people have cheered the Civil Guard - Spain's law enforcement agency which operates on military lines - with football chants advocating the defeat of the opposition.

Against this political background, Spain is beginning to emerge from the crisis of which it has been in the grasp of since 2008. However, unemployment, particularly among young people, is still extremely high, with poverty and homelessness rates continuing to rise. Both Catalan and Spanish politicians have invoked nationalism as the banner beneath which popular support can be raised, allowing the referendum and its surrounding debates to create a vacuum in which these pressing social issues are demoted.

Even with both sides politicking for their own ends, it can't be overlooked that self-determination is a right to which the Catalan people must have recourse. It is hard to understand the actions of the Spanish government as anything other than an affront to democracy. These actions are likely to have had an adverse impact, strengthening the calls for a referendum on independence. This is despite the relative absence of vision for the model the future state might take.

Whilst the majority of Catalans are pro-referendum, within Catalonia there are numerous currents of thought of which independence is only one. All of these voices have the right to make themselves heard in a referendum on their future. But any referendum in the future must be supported by the Spanish government as part of a constitutional agreement, must paint a clear picture for the Catalan public on what a proposed independent state would look like, and must not be used to deny other significant debates. However, as clashes on the streets show no signs of abating and emotions run high, the solution to this situation looks increasingly elusive.

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The Catalan independence referendum is a smokescreen for other issues

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Tensions are running high in Catalonia, with riot police out in force and protesters advocating their right to vote being shot with rubber bullets. At the time of writing, more than 300 people have been injured and at least one person is currently undergoing surgery as a result of clashes between police and protesters.

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Rosy Turquie, Pepe Mustri, Jose Turquie, Daniella Assa & Mayer Khalifa

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Rosy Turquie, Pepe Mustri, Jose Turquie, Daniella Assa & Mayer Khalifa

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How do people in other places inside Spain feel about Catalonian efforts to split?

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Can an independent Catalonia become part of the European Union?

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What are the reactions and agendas of people involved within Catalonia?