Territory and Political Organization: Spain and Catalonia

Posted on Dec 16, 2024 in Geography

Territory, Political Organization, and Reforms in Spain and Catalonia

Democratic Principles and Participation

Democracy, as a political and social organization, involves the right of participation. It implies that public authorities inform citizens of their activities, decisions, etc. There will be institutional mechanisms to listen to citizens. Cooperation and collaboration are indispensable. Political parties and coalitions of parties are organizations whose function is to channel different ideological orientations and social and economic preoccupations of citizens. In a democracy, sovereignty belongs to the people. The decision to vote on one issue or another is secret and personal.

Spain: A Democratic State

Spain is a state based on democratic constitutionalism and parliamentarism. The end of the Franco dictatorship in 1975 marked the implementation of a democratic and social state (text of the 1978 Constitution). The Constitution is the fundamental law that rules the government of Spain and guarantees individual and collective rights. It establishes that national sovereignty resides in the people. Power belongs to citizens over 18 years of age. In parliamentary democracy, the King reigns but does not govern. He is a symbol of the state internally and represents the country internationally. Democracy is representative. Spaniards elect their leaders.

Democratic Practice in Spain

Democratic practice in Spain involves the election of political representatives. Elections guarantee freedom and equality for all people. Spanish citizens periodically convene to elect their representatives for four levels of territorial administration:

  • European Parliament: EU citizens elect 736 parliamentarians.
  • National Parliament: Representatives are elected to the Congress and the Senate (2008).
  • Autonomous Parliament: Representatives are elected to their respective regional parliaments. The number of members varies according to the number of inhabitants.
  • Municipal Councils: Every four years, citizens elect the mayor and city council members. Citizens also elect representatives to work in schools and school council representatives.

Territorial administrations can call a referendum to decide on social aspects, etc., reflecting political participation.

Division of Powers

Legislative Power

Parliament exercises the legislative function through the General Courts, which consist of two chambers:

  • Congress: Represents the Spanish people. It holds legislative power, approves and repeals laws, and approves the state’s budgets. Members are elected through legislative elections, preceded by electoral campaigns. Provinces serve as voting constituencies. Seats are allocated based on the number of votes received (D’Hondt method). If no party wins an absolute majority, it may form a coalition or a minority government. The King proposes a candidate for the presidency of the government. The candidate presents their election manifesto, and the president appoints the ministers.
  • Senate: Chamber of territorial representation. It reviews legislative proposals and can modify them. It authorizes or denies the ratification of international treaties. Each autonomous community’s parliament appoints one senator. Each province elects four senators, each island three, and Ceuta and Melilla two each.

Executive Branch

The executive branch is formed by the President and the ministers. Its role is to direct state policy, manage resources, and handle external relations. It executes laws and enacts decrees. A motion of censure can be initiated to withdraw confidence from the government.

Judiciary

The General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) governs the branch of the courts. It plays a role in the governing bodies of the Supreme Court, the National Court, and the Courts of Justice. It is formed by the President of the Supreme Court and 20 members (vocals). The CGPJ’s function is to ensure the independence of judges in the exercise of their judicial function (judging and executing what is judged).

Territorial Organization of Spain: Autonomous Communities

The 1978 Constitution acknowledged the right to autonomy. Statutes of Autonomy were established between 1979 and 1983, creating 17 autonomous communities. Each statute is negotiated with the central government. In 1995, Statutes of Autonomy were granted to Ceuta and Melilla. The central government delegates part of its sovereignty to the autonomous communities, granting them transferred competences. They also possess full competences and others shared with the state.

Regional Institutions

  • Assembly/Parliament: Approves laws and budgets and controls the regional government’s actions.
  • Autonomous President: Represents the autonomy and leads the government.
  • Government: Executes laws and ensures their compliance. Autonomous communities share the unified judicial power of the Spanish state, but they are involved in the management of administrative powers.

Local, Municipal, and Provincial Administration

Autonomous communities are divided into provinces, counties (comarcas), and associations of municipalities (mancomunidades). Provinces are groupings of municipalities, established in 1833 by Javier de Burgos. They serve as electoral constituencies, territorial divisions of the state’s peripheral administration, and local entities with the highest administrative rank. Provincial councils assist municipalities. Municipalities are the most basic administrative and territorial units, governed by city councils (ayuntamientos). They can include several localities, such as towns and urbanizations. Local power is democratically elected every four years, comprising council members and the mayor. Municipal competences include the provision of services and the funding of equipment. They have economic and material resources, primarily from taxes. Municipalities can group into commonwealths and metropolitan corporations for more efficient management. Each island has its own self-administration (cabildo). In Catalonia, Aragon, and Galicia, there are counties. In rural areas of Galicia, there are parishes (parroquias).

Political and Administrative Organization of Catalonia

Political Autonomy

In 1932, the proclamation of the Second Republic and the approval of the 1931 Constitution led to autonomous government for Catalonia. Catalonia was defined as an autonomous region within the Spanish state, with Catalan and Castilian as official languages. This was abolished under Franco but reinstated in 1977. The Statutes of Autonomy of 1979 and 2006 define Catalonia as a nationality, recognizing the Generalitat as its institutional self-government. Catalan is the official language. The 2006 Statute, reformed in 2003, defines Catalonia as a nation and expands the powers of the Generalitat, establishing new accounting principles.

Institutions of Self-Government: The Generalitat

The Generalitat is the system that institutionally organizes the political self-government of Catalonia and controls political and governmental activity. The President of the Generalitat is elected by the Parliament and appointed by the King. The President heads the government, which also includes the Advisory Council, the Audit Office, and the Ombudsman (Síndic de Greuges).

Powers of the Generalitat

The Generalitat of Catalonia has three types of competences: exclusive, concurrent, and shared. It also has executive powers and the ability to sign agreements with other communities. The Generalitat’s income comes from state transfers.

Territorial Organization of Catalonia

Catalonia is divided into four provinces: Barcelona, Tarragona, Lleida, and Girona. The region is a local entity formed by the grouping of municipalities, with legal personality and autonomy. During the Second Republic, there were 38 regions. As of 1988, there are 42. Currently, there are 946 municipalities.

Catalonia in the Context of Spain and Europe

Regional Contrasts: Background

The Iberian Peninsula’s physical environment, with its central plateau (meseta) surrounded by large valleys, has resulted in regional diversity. Soil science studies the soil, focusing on its maintenance and agricultural operations. Before the Industrial Revolution, economies were based on agriculture and livestock, with reduced production levels. Mediterranean agriculture (maize, vineyards, olives) and ranching were organized across the plateau. The population concentrated in interior areas, which were more protected, well-connected, and had more prosperous economic resources, as well as the court and administration.

Duality Center-Periphery: 19th Century Spain

During the first half of the 19th century, significant economic transformations did not fully industrialize the country. In the second third of the century, a liberal political regime developed, favoring the bourgeoisie and a capitalist system. This led to notable regional differences in social and economic evolution. The center of the peninsula experienced stagnation and weak productivity. Peripheral areas of Catalonia and the Basque Country developed textile and steel industries, promoting urban growth and an industrial bourgeoisie. Madrid also developed socially and economically as the administrative center of the state.

Demographic Impact and Balance

In the second half of the 19th century, industrial competitiveness led to the decline of traditional craftsmanship, causing capital and people to flee to peripheral areas. An integrated market and an updated transport system (railways) were essential for demographic growth. Andalusia, the Canary Islands, Galicia, and Valencia experienced population growth, facilitating emigration. In the first third of the 20th century, three economic poles of industrialization emerged: Madrid, Barcelona, and Bilbao. Areas close to these poles, such as Aragon and Valencia, needed manpower. Marginal areas included Andalusia, Galicia, and Extremadura. Global growth was paralyzed in 1939 due to the Civil War. In 1959, the Stabilization Plan spurred economic growth. Marginal areas became providers of manpower.

Imbalance and Inequality

Territorial disputes arose due to increasing internal imbalances. This encouraged the construction of a balanced communications network and a protectionist system. Each regional market played a different role, with poor and rich regions experiencing profound changes in 1979 due to economic crises and global demographic changes. Spain’s entry into the European Union in 1986 led to the establishment of regional policies and funding from European funds.

Catalonia in the Spanish Context

Catalonia holds a series of potentials derived from its strategic position. Two of Spain’s main economic activity corridors pass through Catalonia. It has an airport (Barcelona) and two main ports (Barcelona and Tarragona). Catalan economic transformation saw industrial employment decrease from 40.3% in 1977 to 24.3% in 2004, while services increased from 41.6% to 62.1%. Catalonia was Spain’s top tourist destination in 2008. Outsourcing and modernization have promoted income growth. The metropolitan region of Barcelona, along with Madrid, forms part of the European urban system, with 500 km² and 3 million people. Central contributions from Mataró, Granollers, Sabadell, Terrassa, etc., have helped integrate the functional and economic territory without destroying the rest of the urban system. Catalonia has improved its infrastructure and urban services.

Towards Territorial Rebalancing

The implementation of autonomy and entry into the EU were essential political factors that led to the application of a series of development plans and policies. Catalonia contributes to inter-territorial compensation funds. These funds have a very significant volume of investment in less developed autonomous communities. The most developed areas of Spain have experienced slow and limited expansion. Poorer communities have increased their standard of living and the quality and quantity of infrastructure and equipment, breaking many cultural inertias.

Presence of Catalonia in the European Context

Catalonia in the EU

Catalonia participates in EU regional policy as a member of the Committee of the Regions, a representative body of local and regional authorities established in 1994 by the Maastricht Treaty. It is a consultative assembly of the EU and actively promotes regional movements in Europe.

European Regional Movements

Associations and movements aim to lay the foundations of European integration through a Europe of regions. These include:

  • Assembly of European Regions: An organization with 250 regions, aiming to strengthen the political representation of regions, promote regionalization, and foster cooperation between Europe and its regions.
  • Working Community of the Pyrenees (CTP): An organization for cross-border cooperation, established in 1983, including Andorra, Aquitaine, Midi-Pyrénées, Navarra, etc. Its purpose is to address the problems of the Pyrenees.
  • Four Motors for Europe: An association of four regions: Baden-Württemberg, Lombardy, Rhône-Alpes, and Catalonia.
  • Euroregion Pyrenees-Mediterranean: Political cooperation between the governments of Aragon, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, etc. Its objective is to support projects proposed by social, economic, and institutional sectors.
  • Catalonia and Scotland Cooperation Agreement: Covers agriculture, rural affairs, architecture, innovation, etc. Catalonia maintains relations with other European regions, projecting itself internationally through the Institut Ramon Llull, the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation, and delegations of the Generalitat.

Regional Policy and EU Funds

The objective is to coordinate regional policy in member states and reduce disparities between regions. The intent is for developing regions to adapt and approach the average level of consumption and welfare. Resources received include:

  • Structural Funds: Aim to combat the structural roots of social and economic backwardness.
  • European Regional Development Fund (ERDF): Strengthens social and economic cohesion, sometimes complemented by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).
  • European Fisheries Fund (EFF): Ensures the application of the common fisheries policy.
  • Cohesion Fund: Promotes the convergence of countries with a GDP per capita below 90% of the EU average.

Territorial Orientation Policies in Catalonia

Territorial Diagnosis: Dispersion of the Population

The current structure of the Catalan territory is the result of a process of concentration of population and activities from the 18th century to 1970. Rapid decentralization has led to the dispersion of the population. Many large and medium-sized cities in Catalonia have experienced a slowdown in population losses due to the housing market, increased motorization, and improved infrastructure. Consequences of territorial dispersion include scattered urban settlements, increased land use, higher service costs, and energy consumption. Growing functional specialization in residential, commercial, and production areas has tended to separate them within the territory. This has led to increased displacement needs, impoverishment of urban life, and the danger of social specialization, with some populations facing serious difficulties in accessing decent housing (e.g., immigrants). Some neighborhoods risk becoming ghettos.

Main Objectives of Land Management

Spain has great potential derived from its position, diversity, urban structure, etc. It is necessary to develop and implement territorial and urban planning plans to correct and regulate the land. Regional approach: In 1995, the General Territorial Plan was approved, establishing general guidelines for the entire territory, along with seven partial plans. Content includes:

  • Open System: Usually reserved for agricultural and livestock activities.
  • Settlement System: Defines the urban network.
  • Infrastructure System: Layout and performance of mobility infrastructure, ports, etc.

Urban planning approach: Territorial planning efforts are accompanied by urban planning actions, directed through the Municipal Urban Planning Plan (POUM). Sectoral approach: Plans that order specific sectors, notably the Housing Plan and policies on land, infrastructure, transport, and mobility.