The Catalan struggle for independence and the role of the European Union

In: Regional science policy and practice: RSPP, Volume 11, Issue 5, p. 787-804

Abstract

AbstractDespite the new political leaderships, Catalonia has continued to be deadlocked since the failed independence movement. As the Catalan separatists' trials are underway, the paper tries to probe highly educated Spanish citizens' perception of the Catalan independence movement as well as their views on the role of the European Union's involvement in the crisis. We find that the pro‐unity Spaniards who did not desire an EU intervention were the least Eurosceptic while those who supported an independent Catalonia and demanded an EU crisis intervention displayed higher levels of Euroscepticism. We also discover that the sample displaying the highest level of Euroscepticism was composed of pro‐secessionist supporters who had a neutral stance on the EU's crisis involvement.