Constitutional Court in the Catalan Conflict and the European Union

Constitutional Court in Catalan Conflict

• 2006 Catalan Statute: Passed with 73% support; appealed by the Popular Party for unconstitutionality.
• 2010 Ruling: Constitutional Court ruled parts of the Statute unconstitutional.
• Referendum Suspensions: Suspended Catalan Referendum (Nov 9, 2014) and self-determination Law (2017).
• Political Sentiment: Catalan people felt high taxation without representation.

Spain's Federalism and Decentralization

• Political Structure: Spain characterized by imperfect federalism, asymmetrical federal state due to varying regional autonomy.
• Decentralization Issues: No consensus on model, resistance from government and conservatives, and potential threats to identity.

Autonomous Community System

• Statutes of Autonomy: Political agreements between autonomous communities (AACC) and the state; changes require mutual consent.
• Competencies: Categorized into exclusive, shared, and regional competencies, covering areas like defense and local governance.

European Union Objectives

1. Promote peace and well-being.
2. Free movement of people, justice, and security without internal borders.
3. Establish an internal market and economic union (Euro).
4. Uphold European values.

EU Competences

• Exclusive Competences: Customs union, competition rules, monetary policy.
• Shared Competences: Internal market, social policy, freedom, and security.

EU Single Market

• General Principles: Free movement of goods, services, capital, and people.
• Benefits: More choices, competitive prices, business opportunities.

Legislative Processes in the EU

• Decision-making Bodies: European Council, European Parliament (directly elected).
• Challenges: Multiple languages, high number of MEPs, no legislative initiative from the Parliament.

Spanish Electoral System

1. Size: 350 MPs elected from small constituencies.
2. Representation: Sovereignty rests with the people, exercised through elected representatives.
3. Political Parties: Reflect citizen interests and are central to the electoral process.

Political Parties in Spain

• Right vs. Left Dynamics: Fragmentation influenced by ideology and regional issues.
• Leftist Parties: United Left, Podemos, and others emerged from socio-political movements.

Social Cleavages in Spanish Politics

• Definition: Divisions based on social positions (e.g., young vs. old, urban vs. rural) impacting electoral behavior.
• Cleavage Theory: Connections between social divisions and political parties; historical roots in societal conflicts.

Active Cleavages and Regional Identity

• Catalonia Example: National identity cleavages are strong and lead to distinct political alignments.
• Complexity: Some regions have overlapping cleavages, while others show juxtaposition, influencing political behavior differently based on the individual context.