Summary

The current proposal to reform the Catalan Statute of Autonomy reveals a desire to replace the Spanish Constitution. In this it is unlike previous schemes put forward in the last century, such as the long series of texts and proposals published by Unió Catalana in 1931 under the title of Elements per a l’estudi de l’Estatut de Catalunya (‘Elements for Analysis of the Statute of Catalonia’), the Statute of 1932, the S’Agaró Agreements promoted during the Civil War itself by Tarradellas, and the current Statute dating from 1979. None of these attempted to replace the constitution in force at the time, but this intention is undoubtedly enshrined in the current proposal as far as the unity of the market in Spain is concerned. As a result, there is a serious threat to the economic development of Spain and in particular of Catalonia itself.