Catalonia pays homage to the EU, not Spain, as push for independence grows

"We are Catalans first and Europeans second, but don't call us Spanish!" say many in Spain's independent minded northeastern region, when asked to define their national identity.

Catalonia, whose capital is Barcelona, is home to seven million of Spain's 44 million inhabitants - and over the past four years the proportion wanting complete independence from Madrid has risen by half, from 14 per cent to 21 per cent, according to the regional government's figures. Some 35 per cent also back creation of an almost entirely independent Catalonia within a federal Spain.

The steady rise in support for independence has dismayed Spanish politicians who hoped that a move three years ago to grant greater freedom to Catalonia within Spain - comparable to Scottish devolution - would reverse the tide of Catalan nationalism.

Instead, the influence of the ERC separatist party has grown and it is now part of the region's governing coalition.

It is the Catalan flag, with its narrow crimson and gold stripes, that mostly flutters from balconies across towns and in the region's capital, Barcelona - not the national flag of Spain.

Now children in state schools learn only in the Catalan language of their region - which evolved, like Spanish and French, from common Latin - and are confined by law to a maximum of three hours' Spanish a week.

Promotion of the language and the Catalan culture has been extended worldwide with "embassies" opened in London, Paris, New York and Beijing.

All this has been strongly encouraged by the powerful framework of the EU - in which countries with populations far smaller than the six million-strong Catalan region are given similar status to their more powerful neighbours. It is towards Europe that independent-minded Catalans look, and not to Madrid.

"We strongly believe in the European Union, because there we have an alliance that potentially gives the same voice to small 'nations', like Catalonia, as to bigger countries such as Spain and France," said Pol Pages, 25, a leading member of the youth arm of ERC, the separatist party which forms an important part of the Catalan regional coalition government.

"And the European Union offers protection," he added. "If tomorrow Catalonia voted to break away from Spain, Madrid couldn't send in the army as it has threatened in the past because we are a part of Europe and protected by its laws.

"Europe to us represents democracy, human rights and a respect for freedom and we hope one day to be recognised as our own state within it."

Catalonia's status as a powerful region has been greatly enhanced by the EU: the region has had its own "embassy" in Brussels since 2004 and directly lobbies the European Commission and the European parliament - to secure changes to the law and seek direct regional funding from the EU budget. Such funds, worth billions of euros a year, are directly managed by the Catalan parliament and government.

The growing power of the region has led to demands for Catalan ministers to participate directly in EU Council of Ministers meetings, meetings which would normally be reserved for national Spanish ministers. Likewise, Catalonia has demanded and won the right to participate in European commission committees and, most importantly, the right to participate directly in the drawing up and revision of EU treaties.

The region's language has been recognised as an "official" language of the EU, but has not been put on a par with Spanish - meaning that only some documents are translated into Catalan. The region is now demanding the right of direct access to the European Court of Justice to protect its interests. At present it needs the backing of the Spanish government before it can go to court.

Barcelona is expected to become the headquarters of EU's Union for the Mediterranean project, a regional bloc intended to improve links with the countries of North Africa.