Homage to Catalonia? EU law and independence movements

The 27 September 2015 vote supporting pro-independence parties in Catalonia has restarted discussion about the relationship between EU law and independence movements within Member States. Steve Peers in 2014 on this issue in the run-up to the Scottish independence referendum, but sees vote in Catalonia as a good time to revisit the topic. There are three linked issues: a) what happens if part of a Member State issues a unilateral declaration of independence (UDI), which seems to be a possible development in Catalonia; b) what happens if a newly independent State which was formerly part of a Member State seeks to remain in the EU; and c) whether the EU should adopt a policy on this issue, and if so what that policy should be.

In this blog the author gives purely an assessment of the EU law implications; He is not commenting here on the (un)desirability of secession of Scotland, Catalonia or any other part of a Member State as such.

ESO: Background information: Catalonian parliamentary election, 2015 http://www.europeansources.info/record/catalonian-parliamentary-election-2015/

ESO: Background information: Scottish independence: how would it impact the UK’s relations with the EU? http://www.europeansources.info/record/blog-scottish-independence-how-would-it-impact-the-uks-relations-with-the-eu/

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