The issue of Catalonia vs. Spain has been a heated debate for decades now, but lately, the topic has been garnering significant international attention. Some parties want Catalonia’s full independence as a new country, others want it to remain a part of Spain.
In his most recent book, L'engany del federalisme espanyol (The Deception of Spanish Federalism) EU Business School Barcelona Professor Marc Guerrero presents Federalism as a solution to the current economic crisis, as well as a possible meeting point where the two sides could come to terms.
Sought for his expert opinion by publications like USA Today, Russia Today TV, NPR and Euronews, Prof. Guerrero is internationally considered an expert on the subject of Catalonia’s independence.
September 11, 2013 put Catalonia on the international public’s radar when 1.5 million people filled the streets of the region carrying signs with statements like: “Independence Now!”; “Freedom for Catalonia”; and “Catalonia: the next independent European state.”
Acutely suffering the consequences of the economic crisis, Catalonia is currently Spain’s most indebted region. Many Catalans believe that they are not receiving the value in services for the millions that they give to the central government every year.
"There is no other territory in the world suffering such fiscal plundering," Professor Guerrero told USA Today in late September, "If we could collect and keep all taxes, this wouldn't have happened and the standard of living of Catalans would be much higher."
Professor Guerrero’s book argues for the same freedoms and autonomy that U.S. states have and suggests that perhaps a Federalist system would be a sensible alternative to the current situation between Catalonia and Spain. However, he acknowledges that due to the lack of federalist vision in the central government, Catalonia would have to build its future alone and later negotiate (should it choose to do so) for equal conditions with the Spanish State.
Professor Guerrero will be discussing this hot topic later this month at his lecture Catalonia vs. Spain: A Global Perspective on February 28, 2013 at 20:00 at the EU Business School Barcelona campus (Carrer Ganduxer 70, 08021).