There will never be a referendum on self-determination in Catalonia affirmed Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at a press conference in Brussels, adding that the region’s independence process is over.
“In Catalonia there is not going to be any self-determination consultation. Not only because it does not fit in the Constitution, that would be enough, but also because we have to contribute with solutions that overcome the fracture,” he stated.
In response, Catalonian regional President Pere Aragonès issued a renewed call for a referendum. His Republican Left of Catalonia is insisting on the so-called Montenegro model of voting, which means independence in case of 50% participation and 55% in favor of leaving. Aragonès supports the idea of reforming the Spanish Constitution in order to make a referendum possible.
In the fall of 2017, the Catalonian government held a referendum on independence. Over 90% of voters supported the idea of separation from Spain, but Madrid deemed the vote illegal, citing a low turnout. The government imposed direct rule and dissolved the regional parliament. Some Catalonian politicians were put behind bars.
Political scientists point out that the idea of Catalonian independence is currently less popular than in 2017. Support for this project dropped from 49% in 2017 to 41% in 2022. Roughly 3,000 companies preferred to move out from the region fearing that an independent Catalonia will lose access to the Eurozone and European market. As a result of this, over 30,000 jobs were not created, according to BBVA bank.
Catalonia is a rich autonomous community of Spain designed of four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona.