Europe is at a crossroads, and Catalonia too

The European elections have a strange electoral mechanism. Each country has a unique electoral district, whether it is Germany or Malta. He confirms that it is a union of countries. The treaty agreements set a large electoral premium for small states, so that none of them get fewer than six seats, such as Luxembourg and Malta. Levels of participation are highly variable and may depend on whether other elections are held simultaneously, but depend primarily on the degree of pro-European participation by each national community. In large countries, such as Spain, the 61 allocated seats allow voting to be highly proportional, and the bar for new nominations is very low, allowing surprises to occur. All of these circumstances mean that the degree of mobilization or demobilization of population groups can be decisive in the outcome of elections. Moderate voters tend to mobilize less than extremist voters, and this gives more voice to extremist positions. Countries with low participation and large populations can have surprising successes in minority choices. All this makes the European Parliament elections, although very important, completely unpredictable. From this currently derives the great possibility of a strong mobilization of the most nationalist, far-right voices, angry about everything. This voice is present in many countries and is known to shine most in the European elections. The unity of all supporters of reducing the powers of the Union and the Commission and returning them to their states has never been stronger than it is now.

Do we want more or less union? Make no mistake: the majority wants the benefits of more unions but without the costs it imposes. When the costs are more apparent, they vote less for the union. This is where we are now. The problem is that the EU and the Commission have increasing powers, and the policies they decide affect the lives of every member state, for better or worse. As a small country, we in Catalonia tend to look favorably on ceding sovereignty to the European Union, out of Europeanism and because we believe that it weakens the arrogance and hostility of the Spanish state. However, the states hastened to regain, from sub-state levels of government, the power they had lost when they ceded sovereignty to the Union. This phenomenon was very evident with the creation of the Economic and Monetary Union and the creation of the euro and the European Central Bank – a massive transfer of sovereignty. Madrid, as well as Paris and Rome, was very active in restoring power to the states and capitals. The gains from transferring sovereignty may be enormous for the people, but those who rally against it are those who feel they are losing. The states take advantage of this to restore centralization.

Steps forward in European integration are the children of major emergencies and crises, such as the pandemic and previously the sovereign debt crisis. Now we find ourselves immersed in another, bigger crisis: the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which threatens all of Europe militarily. On the other hand: the extraordinary technological and commercial dynamism of the United States. And another matter: Chinese business and political expansion. Amidst all these expansionist tendencies, the European Union has become overcrowded and disorganized. The final reaction within each country is very short-sighted, while facing challenges requires courage and sacrifices. It is better for Catalonia that we have the broadest possible representation. No matter how small it is in a parliament of 705 representatives, it will be necessary to be present in decisions. The historical acceleration we are experiencing will force us to make very important collective decisions, and it is better to have a voice, to have ears, and to have a voice. This has been repeated a lot these days, and it is very true: more and more policies are society-based, from agriculture and livestock to environmental sustainability, from business and finance to industrial and technological, from market regulation to research policy diffusion. Or regional balance, from public expenditure to collective debt. And now, you can see, from military and defense to immigration and border control. What remains strictly in the hands of the state is diminishing, even if it is often the most visible.

In these circumstances, it is necessary to go to vote. Not to do so would mean hiding one’s head under one’s wing, in other words, real folly. This does not mean that we get our votes right, but it is essential that we are able to demand responsibility and accountability from elected representatives. We do not want to have critical decisions made for our lives and the lives of our loved ones without being able to have a voice or a vote. These European elections are of this kind: they are extremely important because they are capable of changing our individual and collective destinies. I invite all readers to exercise their little space of power.