An increase in those in Catalonia with an exclusive Catalan identity has strengthened claims for secession from Spain

With less than a month until the proposed date for a referendum on Catalonia’s independence from Spain (9 November 2014), there is still no agreement between the Spanish and Catalan governments over what should take place, with the Spanish Constitutional Court having ruled that any such vote would be illegal.

Luis Moreno writes on the social attitudes underpinning the debate in Catalonia. He notes that against the backdrop of the financial crisis and the opposition of the central Spanish authorities to holding a referendum, the percentage of Catalans expressing an exclusive Catalan identity has risen significantly in recent years.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Catalan self-determination referendum http://www.europeansources.info/record/catalan-self-determination-referendum/

ESO: Background information: Catalans vow to hold referendum on independence from Spain http://www.europeansources.info/record/catalans-vow-to-hold-referendum-on-independence-from-spain/

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