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ELECTION

What does Spain’s new goverment mean for the Catalan crisis?

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's new government took office Monday facing the challenge of finding a solution to the Catalan crisis after controversially agreeing to start talks with the separatists.

What does Spain's new goverment mean for the Catalan crisis?
A Catalan pro-independence flag burns next to a campaign poster of Pedro Sanchez. Photo: AFP

Catalonia's oldest and largest separatist party, the ERC, demanded the negotiations over the region's place within Spain in exchange for its crucial abstention in a confidence vote last week that saw Sanchez sworn in for another term.

Under the deal, his Socialists agreed to open talks between the central and separatist governments to “unblock the political conflict over the future of Catalonia”, and then put to a regional vote any agreements which these negotiations produce.

“The Catalan question has been Spain's main problem for the past five or six years and it is the first time that someone decides to tackle it through a negotiation,” said Ernesto Pascual, professor of political science at the Open University of Catalonia.   

The big question is what will be the scope of these talks, since the two parties have sharply opposing views over the independence issue.    

Separatists want to discuss the possibility of holding a legally binding referendum in Catalonia, as well as an amnesty for their leaders who were sentenced in October to lengthy jail terms over a failed 2017 independence bid.

But the Socialists have already said that such a referendum would be impossible.

What agreement?

The agreement between the Socialists and the ERC calls for an “open dialogue of all proposals” but stresses that the results of the talks must respect the “legal and democratic order”.

“A self-determination referendum in Catalonia is not possible according to the Spanish constitution,” said constitutional law professor Xavier Arbos.    

Reforming the constitution to allow a region to hold a self-determination would require the support of a qualified majority in parliament, which looks unlikely  since Spain's major parties, including the Socialists, are opposed.

What will most likely happen is that the talks will end in “an agreement to clarify and set in stone what are the region's powers, which would create a special position for Catalonia” within Spain, said historian Joan Esculies.

The wealthy northeastern region, which has its own distinct language and culture, already enjoys significant powers over health and education, and has its own police force.

But a significant part of the population of around 7.5 million people wants even more powers to protect the language and culture, and complains of a lack of investment by the central government in the region.

Catalans are divided over independence, with 47.9 percent against and 43.7 percent in favour, according to a recent poll by the regional government. 

'Treason'

Catalonia was rocked by protests which sometimes turned violent last year over the conviction of Catalan leaders, and against that backdrop any concession by Sanchez's government would be fiercely attacked by conservatives.

The main opposition Popular Party and far-right Vox  already accuse Sanchez of “treason” for having been sworn in for another term thanks to the abstention of the ERC.

An agreement which gives the region more powers would undoubtably be challenged in the courts by these parties just as the PP did in 2006 against a new autonomy statute for Catalonia.

Spain's Constitutional Court in 2010 struck down several of the statute's articles, causing support for separatism to soar.

“And if that were to be the case, it would cause similar frustration,” said Arbos.

The talks are also opposed by Catalonia's other main separatist party, the more hardline Together for Catalonia of former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont who was in power during the failed 2017 independence bid.

This negotiation “is a long process which will go through phases of reconciliation, estrangement or even rupture. But at least it is a first step,” said Esculies.

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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?

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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