Controversial Catalan constitution starts

9 August 2006

BARCELONA – Catalonia’s controversial new constitution came into force on Wednesday.

Pasqual Maragall, president of the Catalan regional government the Generalitat, celebrated the so-called “Estatuto” by a visit to Sant Jaume de Frontanya near Barcelona, the smallest village in the autonomous region.

He said the constitution which gives Catalonia further autonomy from Madrid and describes Catalonia as a “nation” would help the region to become stronger.

According to Maragall, under the new constitution, the Spanish State has a merely residual role.

Maragall said the powers of the regional government now made Catalonia the European region which most resembled a state.

In response, the conservative opposition, which has introduced an appeal to overturn the estatut at the Constitutional Court, renewed its criticism that the estatut amounted to a “parallel constitution” to the Spanish one which is supposed to govern all autonomous regions.

On 1 August, the Consumer Ombudsman, Enrique Mugica, also confirmed he would be presenting a second appeal at the Constitutional Court against Catalonia’s new constitution, claiming it breaches the rights and freedoms laid out in the Spanish Constitution.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news