1st Edition
Catalonia, Scotland and the EU: Visions of Independence and Integration
The electoral success of secessionist parties in Catalonia and Scotland over the last decade, together with Brexit and the support for Eurosceptic parties in many EU member states, have prompted a rethink of many taken-for-granted notions about politics in Spain, the UK and the EU. Secessionist parties in Catalonia and Scotland often combine calls for independence with support for the EU, but independence for Catalonia might entail the loss of EU membership. In the UK, Scotland voted for the UK to remain in the EU, yet it was forced to leave the Union along with the rest of the country: what effect has Brexit had on Scottish independence claims? Through comparing Catalonia and Scotland, this short volume aims to contribute to debates on, and advance knowledge of, visions of independence and integration, how they interrelate in Europe’s emergent political order, and what they entail for European integration and democracy in the EU.
Preface
Abbreviations
1 Studying visions of Scottish and Catalan independence in Europe
2 Different paths to independence in Europe
3 Catalan independence and European integration: from idealism to realism?
4 Scottish independence in an integrated Europe: still seen as viable?
5 Scotland and Catalonia: comparison and wider implications
Appendix: List of interviews
Index
Biography
Niklas Bremberg is Associate Professor in Political Science at Stockholm University, Senior Research Fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs and Associated Senior Researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Richard Gillespie is Emeritus Professor of Politics at the University of Liverpool.
"Well documented and theoretically sophisticated, this book is a must for all those interested in the independence claims raised in Catalonia and Scotland over the last decade. The authors analyse both cases with a comparative lens while contextualizing the regional secession processes within the framework of European integration. Does the EU facilitate or impede regional secession in the member states? The book's answer is multifaceted as it raises sensitive debates on democracy and self-determination, understood as contestation and politicization vis-à-vis the respective state (Spain and UK)".
Esther Barbé, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona/Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals
"This is an acute analysis of the dilemmas facing Catalan and Scottish nationalists in reconciling nation, state and Europe. It is carefully researched and up to date."
Michael Keating, Emeritus Professor of Politics, University of Aberdeen
