La internacionalización del proceso independentista catalán (2012-2017): motivos, acciones y balance

Abstract

The political challenge posed between 2012 and 2017 by the leaders of nationalist parties at the head of the autonomous government and parliament of Catalonia, with the support or under pressure from broad sectors of Catalan civil society, was aimed at the effective transformation of their region into an independent state. This project was to be carried out peacefully, in full compliance with the existing legal framework and democratic principles, through dialogue and the maximum possible consensus, and without ever renouncing the desire to be part of the European Union. In the minds of its advocates, the construction of a sovereign Catalan state, its subsequent inclusion in international institutions and – above all – in European bodies were, in fact, unavoidable stages of the same project. To maximise the chances of success, it was of course necessary to count on the endorsement of the member states and the backing of the international community. It is not surprising therefore that the road map designed by the region's political leaders to achieve their goals included specific actions aimed at favouring the internationalisation of the Catalan sovereignty process. In light of the results obtained in this regard, it is worth questioning their effectiveness. The purpose of this paper is to analyse those aspects in more detail.

Keywords

• Catalonia
• international projection
• sovereignty process
• independent state