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INDEPENDENCE

Catalonia independence crisis one year on

On the eve of "Diada", Catalonia's "national day", which traditionally brings hundreds of thousands of separatists out on the streets, lets review the region's independence crisis.

Published: 10 September 2018 17:09 CEST
Catalonia independence crisis one year on
A protester waves a pro-independence Estelada flag as a banner reading "Free political prisoners and those exiled" outside Catalonia's parliament in June. Photo: AFP

Nearly a year after the failed attempt to break away from Spain, the situation remains deadlocked.

State of play

Catalonia's parliament declared independence on October 27 following the banned October 1 independence referendum, which was marred by clashes between police officers and voters. 

The declaration triggered Spain's worst political crisis since the restoration of democracy following the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.

Spain's central government, headed at the time by conservative Mariano Rajoy, responded by suspending the autonomy of the wealthy northeastern region which is home to some 7.5 million people. He dissolved its parliament and sacked Catalonia's separatist government headed by Carles Puigdemont.

Puigdemont and several members of his government left Spain a few days later to avoid being arrested. Other separatist leaders were jailed over their role in Catalonia's independence push.

Charged with rebellion, which carries a jail term of up to 25 years, numerous Catalan separatist leaders are in exile or in prison awaiting a trial, which is expected to take place at the end of the year.

READ MORE: All about the Catalan crisis


A protest calling for freedom for political prisoners. Photo: AFP 

The separatists plan to use Tuesday's annual march to call for freedom for these “political prisoners” as they call them. “Diada” commemorates the fall of Barcelona in the War of the Spanish Succession in 1714 and the region's subsequent loss of institutions and freedoms.

'No' separatist strategy

Separatist parties won a slim majority of 70 seats in the 135-seat Catalan parliament in early regional elections on December 21 even though they fell short of a majority of the popular vote, securing 47.5 percent in a region that remains deeply divided over the issue of independence.

While Catalonia's new leader Quim Torra, who Puigdemont picked as his successor, has defiantly relaunched the push for independence, “there is no strategy in the short, medium or long-term,” said Oriol Bartomeus, a politics professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

“Listening to the speeches of the separatist leaders, it seems like there is no plan. There is a sort of hangover with respect to last year,” he added.   

The separatist camp is split over the way ahead with pro-independence party ERC adopting a more cautious stance than Torra.   

Gabriel Rufian, an ERC member of Spain's parliament, on Sunday called for the bubble of “magical independence” to be burst, in a reference to announcements by separatists leaders which then had no effect.

Bartomeus said he did not believe the Catalan government, which regained its autonomy once Torra came to power, would stage another referendum or make another declaration of independence.

But he warned that if Catalan separatist leaders are sentenced to jail, this could lead to “an act of disobedience to capitalise on the dissatisfaction of the separatist base”.

Dialogue of the deaf


Protesters gather for a demonstration against Catalan independence and in favor of Spanish unity in Barcelona on September 9th. Photo: AFP
 

Spain's new Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez — catapulted to power in June with the support of Catalan separatist parties in a no-confidence vote that ousted Rajoy — has taken a softer line on Catalonia.

He has renewed dialogue with the Catalan government and last week offered Catalonia a referendum on greater autonomy.   

Torra swiftly rejected the proposal and warned that if Madrid did not allow the region to hold a legally binding independence referendum his government would enforce the “mandate” of the banned October 1st plebiscite, a move that would see Madrid once again suspend Catalonia's autonomy.

A majority, around two million people, voted for independence in the October ballot, but turnout was low as opponents did not show up for a vote Spain declared illegal. The results were not recognised internationally.

BEACHES

Why are Barcelona’s beaches disappearing?

Barcelona's much-loved beaches are losing between six and 10 metres of sand per year, but why is this happening?

Published: 16 June 2021 15:30 CEST
Why are Barcelona's beaches disappearing?
Barceloneta Beach. Photo: Pau BARRENA / AFP

Barcelona may be famed for its beaches and they may be one of its biggest tourist draws, but it hasn’t always been this way.

In fact, Barcelona didn’t used to have any beaches at all, just ports and seaside neighbourhoods. It wasn’t until 1992 when the city held the Olympic Games that these neighbourhoods were demolished and the beaches were created. 

What’s the problem?

Since 2017, the city’s beaches have been losing between six and 10 metres of width per year, according to a recent study by the Área Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB).

This beach erosion means that every year there is less and less sand for residents and tourists to lie on and enjoy. 

This is not a new problem however and has been going on much longer than four and half years. In 2016, the Barcelona City Council revealed that since 2010 Barceloneta Beach had lost over 15 metres in width, which is equivalent to 28 percent of its surface area.  

In another 2016 report, the regional authorities of Barcelona also showed that its beaches as a whole had lost 17 percent of their total amount of sand during the same time period, the same as five football pitches.

Why is it happening?

The study attributes this to the fact that there have been more storms than normal since 2017, which has prevented the natural recovery of the beaches.

Storm Gloria in January 2020 in particular caused significant damage to the beaches in the area and caused even more sand to be washed away.

In short, most of this is to do with climate change. 

The beaches that have been most affected and have lost the most amount of sand are those in the lower Maresme region and the towns of Masnou and Badalona.

Barcelona beaches being destroyed during a storm. Photo: JOSEP LAGO / AFP

What’s being done about it?

The Barcelona City Council has been continually adding a little sand to its beaches each year and moving it around from areas that have more to areas that have less.

Aitor Rumín, head of the beach management service of the Barcelona Consistory told El Pais last month that “the last major contribution of sand was made by the ministry in 2010. Since then we have only lost sand”.

“It’s survival, but we can’t do much more. The beaches lose 30 cubic meters of sand per year, especially in the southern parts of each of the beaches. The coastline is receding and we have beaches like Mar Bella, Nova Mar Bella and Llevant, where we can’t do anything to regain the sand,” he said.

Badalona Beach. Photo: JOSEP LAGO / AFP

While moving the sand around and adding a little each year may help to cover up the problem in the short term, it’s not really helping solve the problem and a long-term solution needs to be found.

The Área Metropolitana de Barcelona have been trying to stop the beach erosion with their Resilience Plan, which will ask for greater contributions of sand to try and balance out the current losses and divide the beaches up with breakwaters.

In the case of Badalona, it has been proposed that 13,200 cubic metres of sand be added to the beach each year, as well as to rethink the layout of the equipment located on the seafront. The construction of a breakwater on La Mora beach has also been proposed.

In Sant Adrià, the plan is to build another breakwater, as well as to remove the jetty in front of the old industrial areas. The council also hope to add a further 95,000 cubic metres of sand.

It is thought that similar plans may be carried out on Barcelona’s other beaches.

Is this a problem anywhere else in Spain?

Yes, beach erosion is a problem throughout Spain, as well as throughout the world, due to climate change.

Theocharis Plomaritis from the University of Cádiz who was one of the co-authors of the Nature Climate Change study published in March 2020, told El Periodico that by the end of the century the retreat of the beaches in Spain and Southern Europe could be 86 metres, if no measures are taken to contain climate change. 

According to the study, in the best case scenario – with measures to mitigate the effects of climate – the loss of sandy beaches in Spain would be 60 metres and 27 of these metres by 2050.

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