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Times for small steps

Iñigo Urkullu eta Pedro Sánchezen arteko bilera bat Moncloa Jauregian, Madrilen. (Argazkia: Moncloa)

13 September 2023 - 08:10
Last updated: 10:38

In view of the political situation in Spain, it may be thought that for years its main parties will need the votes of the nationalist peripheries to form governments in Madrid. Can this allow us to take other steps around plurinationality in Spain? In this context comes the proposal for the constitutional convention of lehendakari Urkullu. And what is it? In short, to take advantage of this moment to discuss the issue in the Spanish Congress and overcome the constitutional framework of 1978, also moving to the political sphere the economic agreement we have in the Basque territories in the economic sphere.

It is actually the warmest proposal by nationalists over the last two decades on the national issue. In other political contexts they often launch much more round deals: the Ibarretxe Plan in 2001, the one agreed in the Loiola talks in 2006, the consultation of Ibarretxe in 2008, the proposal for reform of the Statute in 2014, the political bilaterality in 2018...

Finally, the current situation cannot be compared with what has been said, but at the door of the Alderdi Eguna and the elections to the Basque Parliament, no more offer can be made. In contrast, Catalonia talks about amnesty, referendum and self-determination for these talks with the PSOE. From Euskal Herria, on the other hand, the agreement with Sánchez is almost good, knowing that the alternative is much worse.

It seems that Catalan independence, especially Junts, wants to seize this special opportunity given by politics to dignify and force the chapter of exile and bring the independence movement to another stage. It is not a joke, it is just a question of the division of independence which raised the proces.

The amnesty that the Catalans want to negotiate, in Catalonia there are still thousands of people threatened by repression. However, there is no one in jail. In Euskal Herria, thirteen years after ETA left arms, there are still about 150 prisoners and about twenty exiles. If the previous legislature was that of the end of dispersion, this would be the legislature which should be that of temporary majority dismissal. The ETA chapter in Euskal Herria has lasted more than half a century and this page has not completely passed. This will still have a major influence in moving the national issue back into the realm of confrontation. The Abertzale left is in the institutional strategy, besides success, and in the popular movement there are still no strong initiatives to build other paths.

From a democratic point of view, any constitutional convention that would advance the plurinational character of the Spanish State would always be welcome, but anyone with a historical perspective can imagine that no significant step will be taken without a strong social impulse of the sovereign movements. Praised by the agreement, the transition climate of 1978 is often mentioned, but not so much the great atmosphere of pressure there was then. Now, in any case, we are in a moment of small steps.


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