Two Thirds of Catalans Will Vote – SI to Independence Seems a Winner

• There are celebrations, and violence, in the air of Catalunya and its capital Barcelona. The autonomous province in the Northeast of Spain is preparing for a referendum on 1^st October to decide whether its local government should begin proceedings for independence.

Catalunya (in red)

The national Spanish government in Madrid has banned the referendum, and its Constitutional Court has declared it illegal. Yet, a large majority of the 7.5 million Catalans are determined to cast their vote, in spite of massive concentration in the main cities of Spanish gendarmes and military forces, and the occupation of schools by anti-independentists in an effort to stop the poll. The situation is likely to get worse on Saturday and Sunday.

In spite of the effort by Madrid to put an end to the movement, manu military and through intimidation, with police raids to the offices of Catalan political parties, with the detention of local politicians and journalists, and the decision of the Ministry of Communications to disrupt the functioning of the Internet in order to sabotage online voting,  foreign observers are now convinced that the referendum will be held. 

The largest circulation Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia published today the results of an opinion poll commissioned by the Scottish daily The National. The data released predict that 62% of the eligible voters will go to the polling stations in the region, while 38% will stay home. Of these voters, 83% will vote ‘Sì’ (yes) for independence and 16% ‘No’. Two per cent will cast a blank or invalid bulletin.

Front page of The National of Scotland on 30 September 2017

What will happen the ‘Day After’? Not clear at this time. The referendum is non-binding within the context of the Spanish Constitution, and following the recent judgement by Spain’s Constitutional Court. So, no immediate consequences are expected. But a strong ‘Yes’ position by the residents will trigger a series of actions by the local political forces in the effort to begin negotiations with Madrid for a revision of the current political and economic status of Catalunya, and for a longer-term option to have a binding referendum on independence.

The European Union has said that they would not recognise the results of the 1^st October poll, but its spokesmen have abstained from taking a political position on the matter. Many member states with large minorities of EU citizens within their borders are, obviously, nervous and would not like this affair to set a precedent encouraging emancipation of provinces. So, Brussels is stuck between maintaining the status quo in national sovereignty and standing for its own principles on individual rights and on the freedom of EU citizens to make democratic choices. 

Catalunya explained to foreigners

Catalunya: A region apart - BBC documentary

An Erasmus Programme for SMEs?

Commission’s DG Employment is working on a proposal for the next EU Multi-annual Budget Frame to launch an Erasmus-like programme for employees of SMEs throughout the Union, starting in 2021.

The idea, labelled Mobile SME, consists of enabling employees of small and medium-sized companies, as well as self-employed persons, to work for a short period in a company of their sector in another EU country.

Mobile SME -- Commission's new initiative

For the DG Employment and the participating so far representatives of SMEs and Entrepreneurs associations, cross-border employee exchange is a “win-win situation”, as the employees, their employers and their host SMEs gain substantial know-how and improve in real terms their knowledge of the profession. The jobs of the employees who take leave in order to work abroad under the scheme will be guaranteed by their current firms, while the host SMEs will receive financial assistance from Brussels.

Tests in 2015-2016 have led the Commission to be optimistic as to the potential demand for the programme. Another test is being planned for 2018 to validate the previous findings.

One of the intentions of the Commission may be the democratisation of cross-border learning on-the-job, a privilege so far reserved to managers and specialists working for large multinationals.

Learning on the job, as an exchange worker.
Here: Epic Google Campus, Ireland. Courtesy: Google, Inc.

A Hole in the Cold Waters of Tallinn

The mid-semester European Council informal meeting was held from Thursday evening to Friday afternoon in Tallinn. Estonia holds the presidency of the EU in the first half of 2017.

Nothing news-braking happened at this meeting. There had been expectations that the ‘digital future of Europe’ would have been the main theme, and that the Brexit process would have been clarified—but they remained unfulfilled.

Talinn, City Centre -- Credit: Wikimedia commons

The news on Brexit varied widely, based on their sources: German Chancellor Angela Merkel displayed optimism for the direction the discussions are taking, while Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said that “a miracle is needed” for progress in the negotiations with London to advance by the end of October. ‘Digital Europe’—including e-governance, cybersecurity and the development of advanced technology industries--was marginalised and overtaken by growing interest in Artificial Intelligence, an area in which the Union is behind the U.S. and Asia. The plan on Digital Europe foresees heavy policing and taxation of Internet activities and of its large players (Google, Apple, Microsoft, and others), an initiative already rejected by several member states—particularly Ireland and Luxembourg.

Some of the above issues are now on the agenda of the official European Council meeting in mid-October in Brussels. Social issues will be discussed in November at another informal meeting in Sweden.

In the margins of the conference it was observed that there are growing disagreements among the 26 member states that attended (Spain’s PM excused himself in view of the Catalan referendum this weekend) in respect to the future direction of Europe, following Juncker’s “State of the Union” speech of 13 September and to a long and controversial speech by French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this week. One point that gathered consensus among the heads of state and government was that they need more, and more frequent, informal meetings among themselves to discuss current issues without having to make decisions.