“Both parties, [...] with a view to enshrining the bonds of friendship between Spain and Catalonia and consolidating the accord and mutual understanding between the Spanish people and the Catalan people; aware of the historic and cultural solidarity ties that unite Spain and Catalonia; having confirmed that both countries share the same democratic conceptions and seek common objectives; have agreed to strengthen and establish [...] the cooperation between Spain and Catalonia in the fields of politics, culture, the economy and security, as well as at local and regional level”. Signed in Madrid in two copies written in Catalan and Spanish.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Spain.
The Minister of Foreign Relations of the Catalan Republic.”
As things stand now, a text such as the one above may be regarded as the work of a fool or merely as a provocation. And yet it is the literal transcript of the introductory section of the Joint Declaration by Spain and France of July 9, 1985. I have simply changed all references to France, the French people and the French language for Catalonia, the Catalan people and the Catalan language. And I have swapped Paris for Madrid. The full document, between the heading and the signatures, establishes cooperation instruments in every field. For instance, in the field of culture, there is an agreement to increase the number of Spanish students who study French and vice versa; and provisions are made for the creation of a High Cultural Council of France and Spain, tasked with making every suggestion possible so as to enrich cultural exchanges between Spain and France. In the area of defence, the document proposes cooperation in the joint manufacture of armament. Not a small feat.
I have picked this example out of dozens and dozens of treaties, agreements and cooperation protocols between Spain and the neighbouring nations of Portugal, France and Andorra to show that the existence of separate nations does not imply that they exist in isolation from one another. Quite the opposite. Having read these documents, it becomes apparent that Spain finds it easier to cooperate closely with other nations than with its own autonomous regions. The reason for that is obvious: true cooperation and frank exchange are only possible when they are grounded on mutual recognition by both parties as equals in their dignity. And it also follows that political borders in today’s open, democratic societies do not separate, but unite. What’s more, they are precisely the space that recognises and protects these exchanges. So how come what is possible with great France and tiny Andorra, or with Portugal, would be impossible with an independent Catalonia?
In light of all this, I am exasperated by two things. Predictably, the first one is that unionists lie when they present the creation of an independent Catalonia as a road to isolation and a desire to put up a wall. The second, which the independence movement is to blame for, is the notion whereby secession is presented as a process of mere disconnection. It is a monumental error, particularly for those of us who hope that independence will improve and strengthen the bonds between Catalonia and Spain, which we have not achieved by being a Spanish autonomous region. In addition, this mistake fatally erodes the support that independence requires. There are far too many reasons to establish good ties with Spain not to do so from the only possible space: Catalan independence. The disconnection will be strictly legal and political. Emancipation, though, must be subservient to building the best possible alliance with Spain.
