MOSCOW, April 16 (RIA Novosti), Daria Chernyshova – The European Union is not interested in ejecting Catalonia as the region is an economic powerhouse and Mediterranean trade center, a founder of the Catalan National Assembly told RIA Novosti.
“Is it in the EU's interest to lose, even temporarily, one of the main industrial powerhouses of Southern Europe, and free movement of its trade down the western Mediterranean coastline?” Miquel Strubell said.
“Would other members allow Spain to boycott Catalonia's membership of the EU simply as an act of childish revenge?” he added, commenting on a report by Catalonia's National Transition Advisory Council.
The report released Tuesday said the EU is unlikely to reject an independent Catalonia as a new member state. Strubell believes “the EU is, above all, pragmatic.”
The EU Commission said the treaties of the European Union stipulate that “if a region of a member state ceases to be a part of this territory and declares independence, the treaties no longer apply.”
“The treaties do not contemplate such a possibility and there are no precedents,” Strubell argued.
Earlier this month, the Spanish parliament held a seven-hour debate, ultimately rejecting Catalonia’s bid to hold an independence referendum, with 299 lawmakers voting against, 47 in favor and one abstention.
“This has been widely expected for months by the Catalans,” Strubell told RIA Novosti. “The Spanish government says that to ask the Catalan people about their future is unconstitutional, but at least five perfectly constitutional means of holding this poll have been identified,” he said.
Despite the Spanish parliament rejecting the popular vote, Catalan politicians have vowed to go ahead with the bid and hold the referendum anyway. According to a recent poll, about half of Catalonia’s population of 7.5 million would vote for independence.
Catalonia accounts for a fifth of Spain’s economic output and many pro-referendum supporters say that breaking with the rest of Spain will grant more economic privileges to residents of the region.
