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The Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia (Catalan: Estatut d'Autonomia de Catalunya; also Statute of Sau, Estatut de Sau, after the location where the statute was first made) is a constitutional law defining the region of Catalonia as an autonomous community within the Kingdom of Spain. It was promulgated on 18 September 1979. It is one of seventeen such statutes granted, in various forms and capabilities, to the different autonomous communities of Spain since the Spanish transition to democracy of the 1970s. On June 18, 2006, a referendum altering the statute to expand the authority of the Catalan government was approved in a referendum, but awaits approval by the Spanish national government.
Catalonia first obtained a Statute of Autonomy in 1932, during the Second Spanish Republic. This law was abolished by General Francisco Franco after the Spanish Civil War, largely because Catalonia had been a region opposed to the Nationalist forces, and during his rule Catalan culture, language, and self-rule were harshly suppressed.
Self-government under the statute
The Generalitat de Catalunya is the institution in which the self-government of Catalonia is politically organised. It consists of the Parliament, the President of the Generalitat and the Executive Council or Government of Catalonia.
The region has gradually achieved a greater degree of autonomy since 1979. The Generalitat holds exclusive jurisdiction in various matters of culture, environment, communications, transportation, commerce, public safety and local governments, but in education, health and justice, the region shares jurisdiction with the Spanish government. Catalonia has its own police force, the Mossos d'Esquadra (literally 'squad lads'), which is currently in the process of taking over most of the role within Catalonia of the Guardia Civil and Policía Nacional, which are under the authority of the Spanish national government, although the Spanish government will keep agents in the region for matters relating to terrorism and immigration. Most of the justice system is administered by national judicial institutions. The legal system is uniform throughout the Spanish State, with the exception of so-called "civil law", which is administered separately within Catalonia *.
As an autonomous community of Spain, Catalonia has no official status or recognition at an international level. The new statute will not change this situation, except for the possibility of separate membership in UNESCO. On June 18, 2006, a referendum across Catalonia approved reforms to the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia which will make its self-government one of the most advanced in Spain, only lower to the two communities governed by the especial regime of Fueros (i.e. the Basque Country and Navarre).
Statute's current reform process
On September 30 2005, the Catalan Parliament approved (with the support of 120 deputies to 15) a proposal for reform of the current Statute. The proposal was sent for discussion to the Cortes Generales (Spain's parliament).
On November 2 2005 the Congress of Deputies (in Madrid) approved the admission to formality of the Proposal for reform of the new Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia with the support of all the groups except the People's Party (PP). The latter filed an objection of unconstitutionality, currently in process. Its constitutionality has also been contested by some intellectuals and journalists related to right-wing media such as the COPE (Catholic radio network) and the Madrid-based newspapers El Mundo and La Razón.
On January 21, 2006, Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and Catalan Leader of the Opposition Artur Mas arrived at a pre-agreement about nation definition and financing in the current project of statute.
On May 10, 2006, the amended text passed through its final reading through both Houses of the Parliament, with the support of all parties except the Spanish rightist opposition party People's Party, and also the Catalan separatist party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, which voted against the project in the Congress but abstained in the Senate (to avoid a blocking vote). Both parties, for very different reasons, supported a no vote in the referendum.
The president of Catalonia, M. Hble. Pasqual Maragall, decided that Sunday June 18 would be the date on which the text would be put to the Catalan people in the form of a referendum. The referendum approved the statute, the "yes" side receiving 74% of votes cast. Voter turnout was 48.84% of the total census.
See also
- Catalonia
- Generalitat de Catalunya
- Autonomous communities of Spain
- Spanish transition to democracy
- Statute of Autonomy
External links
1979 in law | Politics of Catalonia
Estatut d'Autonomia de Catalunya de 1979 | Estatuto de Autonomía de Cataluña
"Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia"