Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006 facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006 (Catalan: Estatut d’Autonomia de Catalunya) is like a special rulebook for Catalonia. It's a very important law that works under the main Spanish Constitution of 1978. This rulebook explains the rights and duties of people living in Catalonia. It also sets up how Catalonia's government, called the Government of Catalonia, works. It defines what powers the Catalan government has and how it connects with the rest of Spain. It also covers how the government gets its money.

This important law was approved by a special vote, called a referendum, on June 18, 2006. It replaced an older rulebook from 1979, known as the Statute of Sau. About 36% of people in Catalonia who could vote, said "yes" to this new law. Many people, more than half, did not vote in this referendum. Later, on June 28, 2010, Spain's highest court, the Constitutional Court of Spain, looked at the law. They changed parts of 14 articles and explained how 27 others should be understood. This led to a huge protest in Barcelona. More than a million people marched with the slogan Som una nació. Nosaltres decidim, which means "We are a nation. We decide."

How Catalonia's Rulebook Changed Over Time
- Making the 2005 Draft Statute
- Voting Numbers for Catalan Statutes
How Catalonia Governs Itself Under the Statute
- Changes from the 1979 Statute
Different Views on the Statute
See also

How Catalonia's Rulebook Changed Over Time

In 1919, people in Catalonia tried to create their own rulebook for the first time. This was called a project of Statute. But the Spanish parliament, called the Cortes Generales, said no to it.

Later, in 1928, some Catalan people living in Havana wrote a plan for a Catalan Republic. This was a project of Constitution.

Catalonia finally got its first real rulebook, a Statute of Autonomy, in 1932. This happened during the Second Spanish Republic. But after the Spanish Civil War, General Francisco Franco stopped this law. Catalonia had been against Franco's forces. During his time in power, speaking Catalan, using Catalan culture, and Catalonia's self-government were strongly stopped.

In 1979, as Spain became a democracy again, a second Statute was approved by another public vote.

On June 18, 2006, people voted again in a referendum. This vote was to change the 1979 Statute to give more power to the Generalitat de Catalunya, Catalonia's government. This new law became active on August 9, 2006. Not many people voted in this referendum, less than 50%. This vote also caused some problems between the political groups that had supported the new law. This led to an early election in 2006.

Making the 2005 Draft Statute

The "Draft of New Statute of Autonomy for Catalonia of 2005" was a plan to change how Catalonia governed itself. On September 30, 2005, the Catalan Parliament approved this plan. Most of the politicians, 120 out of 135, voted for it. The plan was then sent to Spain's parliament, the Cortes Generales, on November 2, 2005.

Spain's parliament, the Spanish Congress of Deputies, agreed to discuss the plan on November 2, 2005. All groups supported it except for the People's Party (PP). The PP later said parts of the plan were against the Spanish Constitution. Spain's highest court, the Constitutional Court of Spain, later agreed and said 14 articles were unconstitutional. Some writers and journalists also questioned if the plan was constitutional.

On January 21, 2006, Spain's Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and Catalonia's opposition leader, Artur Mas, agreed on parts of the plan. These parts were about defining Catalonia as a "nation" and how it would get money.

On May 10, 2006, the changed plan was voted on in both parts of Spain's parliament. Most parties supported it. But the conservative People's Party and the Catalan separatist party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) did not. ERC had helped write the plan, but they voted against it in the Spanish Congress. They did not vote in the Senate. Both parties later told people to vote "no" in the referendum.

The president of Catalonia, Pasqual Maragall, decided that the vote would be on Sunday, June 18. The people of Catalonia approved the Statute. About 74% of those who voted said "yes." However, only 49.41% of all eligible voters actually voted. This was a very low number for such an important vote. The new Statute has been in effect since August 9, 2006.

Voting Numbers for Catalan Statutes

In 1931, a vote on the Statute of Autonomy had 75.13% of people voting. Of those, 99.49% voted "yes."
In 1979, a vote on the Statute of Autonomy had 59.7% of people voting. Of those, 88.1% voted "yes."
In 2006, the vote on the current Statute had 48.85% of people voting. Of those, 73.24% voted "yes," and 20.57% voted "no."

How Catalonia Governs Itself Under the Statute

Catalonia is an Autonomous Community within Spain. This means it has its own government and some special powers. The Spanish Constitution sees Catalonia as a "historical region." In September 2005, the Parliament of Catalonia said that Catalonia is a 'nation' in the introduction of the new Statute of Autonomy.

Most politicians in the Catalan Parliament, 120 out of 135, agreed with this idea. The Spanish Government says this is just a statement, not a legal definition. This is because the Spanish Constitution says that the "unity of the Spanish Nation" cannot be broken.

The Generalitat de Catalunya is the main group that organizes Catalonia's self-government. It includes the Parliament, the President of the Generalitat, and the Executive Council (which is like the Government of Catalonia).

The Statute of Autonomy gives the Generalitat of Catalonia powers to govern itself. These powers can be:

Exclusive: Only Catalonia handles these.
Concurrent: Both Catalonia and Spain handle these.
Shared: Both Catalonia and Spain work together on these.

The Generalitat has power over many areas. These include culture, education, health, justice, environment, transportation, trade, and public safety. Catalonia also has its own police force, called the Mossos d'Esquadra. However, the Spanish government still has police agents in Catalonia for things like border control, terrorism, and immigration.

Most of the justice system in Catalonia is run by Spanish courts. The main legal system is the same across all of Spain. But Catalonia has its own "civil law" which is handled separately.

Changes from the 1979 Statute

The main goal of the new Statute of Autonomy was to make Catalonia's self-government stronger and give it more powers. Here are some key differences:

It calls Catalonia a "nation" in the introduction of the law. The 1979 Statute called it a "nationality."
It officially recognizes Catalonia's symbols: the flag, the national anthem, and the national day.
It says that Catalonia's self-government is based on "historical rights."
It makes Catalan language even stronger as the main language of Catalonia. It says Catalan citizens have a duty to learn it, along with Spanish. The Occitan language (specifically Aranese in Val d'Aran) is also an official language.
It has a whole section (Title I) just about the rights and duties of Catalan citizens. These are in addition to the rights in the Spanish Constitution.
It plans for new local areas called Vegueries and removes the old Spanish Provincial Councils.
It gives more power to the High Court of Justice of Catalonia. It also creates a High Prosecutor of Catalonia and a Council of Justice of Catalonia.
The Generalitat got more powers over new topics, and its existing powers were made clearer. Some of these new areas include:
- Religious groups
- Landscapes
- Public votes (but not referendums)
- Safety at sea
- Help for new immigrants
- Transportation that stays only within Catalonia
- Labour inspection (checking workplaces)
It sets up direct talks between the Generalitat and the Spanish Government.
It defines how Catalonia can act with other countries. It recognizes Catalan government offices in other countries.
It expands how Catalonia gets its money:
- It creates the Tax Agency of Catalonia. This agency collects and manages Catalonia's own taxes and some taxes given by the Spanish State.
- Catalonia gets a bigger share of State taxes (like income tax, VAT, and company tax).
- It controls how much the Spanish State invests in Catalonia.

Different Views on the Statute

Some political parties, like Cs and PP, say that Catalan politicians and media are too focused on Catalan identity. They point to the low number of people who voted in the referendum as a sign that many people don't agree with this focus.

On the other hand, Catalan nationalist parties, like CiU, Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), or CUP, believe the Statute doesn't give Catalonia enough self-government. They say the version of the Statute that people voted on was changed too much by the Constitutional Court of Spain. These changes, they argue, removed key parts. This led to the first big Catalan demonstrations asking for Catalan independence.