Editing Autonomous communities of Spain (section)

== Movement for further autonomy ==
{{See also|Galician independence movement}}
Peripheral nationalism continues to play a key role in Spanish politics. Some peripheral nationalists view that there is a vanishing practical distinction between the terms "nationalities" and "regions",{{sfn|Keating|2006|loc=}} as more powers are transferred to all communities in roughly the same degree and as other communities have chosen to identify themselves as "nationalities". In fact, it has been argued that the establishment of the State of Autonomies "has led to the creation of "new regional identities",<ref name=smith>{{cite web|url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/sites/constitution_unit/files/64.pdf|title=Regional Government in France and Spain|last1=Smith|first1=Andy|last2=Heywood|first2=Paul|publisher=University College London|date=August 2000|access-date=11 July 2022}}</ref><ref name=junco>{{cite news|url=http://elpais.com/elpais/2012/09/28/opinion/1348855849_016658.html|title=El sueño ilustrado y el Estado-nación|last=Junco|first=José Álvarez|newspaper=[[El País]]|date=3 October 2012|access-date=23 October 2012}}</ref> and "invented communities".<ref name=junco/>
Many in Galicia, the Basque Country, and Catalonia view their communities as "nations", not just "nationalities", and Spain as a "plurinational state" or a "nation of nations", and they have made demands for further devolution or secession.

=== Basque Country ===
{{Main|Basque Country independence}}
In 2004 the Basque Parliament approved the [[Ibarretxe Plan]], whereby the Basque Country would approve a new Statute of Autonomy containing key provisions such as shared sovereignty with Spain, full independence of the [[judiciary]], and the right to [[self-determination]], and assuming all powers except that of the [[Spanish nationality law]], defense, and monetary policy. The plan was rejected by the Spanish Parliament in 2005 and the situation has remained largely stable in that front so far.

=== Catalonia ===
{{Main|Catalan independence movement}}
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| footer = Pro-Catalan independence (left) and pro-Spanish unity demonstrations in [[Barcelona]].
}}A particularly contentious point – especially in Catalonia –  has been the one of fiscal tensions, with Catalan nationalists intensifying their demand for further financing during the 2010s. In this regard, the new rules for fiscal decentralisation in force since 2011 already make Spain one of the most decentralized countries in the world also in budgetary and fiscal matters,<ref name="Piketty">{{cite web|url=http://piketty.blog.lemonde.fr/2017/11/14/the-catalan-syndrom/ |title=The Catalan Syndrom |publisher=lemonde.fr |first=Thomas|last=Piketty|date=2017-11-14 |access-date=2017-11-14}}</ref> with the base for income tax split at 50/50 between the Spanish government and the regions (something unheard of in much bigger federal states such as Germany or the United States, which retain the income tax as an exclusively or primarily federal one).<ref name="Piketty"/> Besides, each region can also decide to set its own income tax bands and its own additional rates, higher or lower than the federal rates, with the corresponding income accruing to the region which no longer has to share it with other regions.<ref name="Piketty"/> This current level of fiscal decentralisation has been regarded by economists such as [[Thomas Piketty]] as troublesome since, in his view, "challenges the very idea of solidarity within the country and comes down to playing the regions against each other, which is particularly problematic when the issue is one of income tax as this is supposed to enable the reduction of inequalities between the richest and the poorest, over and above regional or professional identities".<ref name="Piketty"/>

==== Catalan independence ====
The severe [[Economy of Spain|economic crisis in Spain]] that started in 2008 produced different reactions in the different communities. On one hand, some began to consider a return of some responsibilities to the central government<ref name=abc>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.es/20110729/espana/abcp-varias-autonomias-meditan-devolver-20110729.html|title=Varias autonomías meditan devolver competencias por el bloqueo del gobierno|publisher=[[ABC (Spain)|ABC]]|date=29 July 2011|access-date=29 January 2012}}</ref> while, on the other hand, in Catalonia debate on the fiscal deficit—"Catalonia being one of the largest net contributors in taxes"{{Citation needed|date=June 2018}}—led many to support secession.<ref name=nextstate>{{cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/node/21563347|title=Catalonia: Europe's next state. A row about money and sovereignty|newspaper=The Economist|date=22 September 2012|access-date=29 September 2012}}</ref><ref name=guardianfabric>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/sep/28/spain-cultural-fabric-tears-austerity-cuts|title=Spain's cultural fabric tearing apart as austerity takes its toll|last1=Tremlett|first1=Giles|last2=Roberts|first2=Martin|newspaper=The Guardian|date=28 September 2012|access-date=29 September 2012}}</ref> In September 2012, [[Artur Mas]], then Catalonia's president, requested from the central government a new "fiscal agreement", with the possibility of giving his community powers of fiscal autonomy equal to those of the  [[Communities of chartered regime|chartered communities]], but prime minister [[Mariano Rajoy]] refused. Mas dissolved the Catalan Parliament, called for new elections, and promised to conduct a referendum on independence within the next four years.<ref>{{cite web|title=Two thirds of the Catalan Parliament approve organising a self-determination citizen vote within the next 4 years |url=http://www.catalannewsagency.com/news/politics/two-thirds-catalan-parliament-approve-organising-self-determination-citizen-vote-withi |publisher=Catalan News Agency |date=28 September 2012 |access-date=29 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001020028/http://www.catalannewsagency.com/news/politics/two-thirds-catalan-parliament-approve-organising-self-determination-citizen-vote-withi |archive-date=1 October 2012 }}</ref>

Rajoy's government declared that they would use all "legal instruments"—current legislation requires the central executive government or the [[Congress of Deputies (Spain)|Congress of Deputies]] to call for or sanction a binding referendum—<ref name=ley>{{cite web|url=http://noticias.juridicas.com/base_datos/Admin/lo2-1980.html|title=Ley Orgánica 2/1980, de 18 de enero, sobre Regulación de las Distintas Modalidades de Referéndum|publisher=Congress of the Deputies, Spain|date=18 January 1980|access-date=29 September 2012}}</ref> to block any such attempt.<ref name=clash>{{cite news|title=Spain heads towards confrontation with Catalan parliament|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/sep/27/spain-heads-towards-confrontation-catalan?INTCMP=SRCH|newspaper=The Guardian|date=27 September 2012|access-date=29 September 2012}}</ref> The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party and its [[Socialist Party of Catalonia|counterpart in Catalonia]] proposed to reopen the debate on the territorial organization of Spain, changing the constitution to create a true [[federation|federal system]] to "better reflect the singularities" of Catalonia, as well as to modify the current taxation system.<ref name=estadofederal>{{cite news|url=http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2012/09/24/actualidad/1348472542_065250.html|title=Rubalcaba, a favor de cambiar la Constitución para ir a un Estado federal|newspaper=[[El País]]|date=24 September 2012|access-date=29 September 2012|last1=Calvo|first1=Vera Gutiérrez|last2=País|first2=El}}</ref><ref name=navarro>{{cite web|url=http://www.elperiodico.cat/ca/noticias/politica/navarro-candidatura-psc-eleccions-autonomiques-terrassa-2214254|title=Navarro presenta la seva candidatura aquesta tarda a Terrassa|publisher=El Periódico de Catalunya|date=28 September 2012|access-date=29 September 2012}}</ref>

In 2017 and 2018 the situation developed into [[2017–2018 Spanish constitutional crisis|constitutional crisis]]. Following a highly fraught attempted [[2017 Catalan independence referendum|referendum]], on Friday 27 October 2017 the Catalan Parliament voted on the independence of Catalonia; the result was 70 in favor, 10 against, 2 neither, with 53 representatives not present in protest. In the following days, the members of the Catalan government either fled or were imprisoned.

One scholar summarises the current situation as follows:

<blockquote>the autonomous state appears to have come full circle, with reproaches from all sides. According to some, it has not gone far enough and has failed to satisfy their aspirations for improved self-government. For others it has gone too far, fostering inefficiency or reprehensible linguistic policies.{{sfn|Arbós Marín|2013|page=395}}
</blockquote>

=== Possible rearrangements ===
Besides [[List of territorial disputes|the territorial disputes]] that Spain holds with [[disputed status of Gibraltar|the United Kingdom]], [[plazas de soberanía|Morocco]] and [[Olivenza#Claims of sovereignty|Portugal]], some forces have campaigned for the redistribution of territories among communities:
* There are independence movements pleading for secession from Spain in [[Catalan independentism|Catalonia]], [[Basque independence|the Basque Country and Navarre]], [[Galician independence movement|Galicia]] and [[Canarian independence|the Canary Islands]].
* The [[Basque Statute of Autonomy]] and the {{ill|Fourth transitory provision|es|Disposición transitoria cuarta|lt=fourth transitory provision of the 1978 Spanish Constitution}} provide a pathway for the integration of Navarre in the Basque autonomous community. The [[Parliament of Navarre]] has not entertained the possibility.
* The [[Treviño enclave]] (formed by the municipalities of [[Condado de Treviño]] and [[La Puebla de Arganzón]]) is part of the province of Burgos (in the autonomous community of Castile and León) but is surrounded by Álava (Basque autonomous community). There is [[Treviño enclave dispute|a dispute]] in which the Castilian-Leonese government support the status quo and the Basque Government and much of the local population support integration in Álava and the Basque Country.<ref name="Treviño">{{cite news|title=Treviño quiere ser vasco|url=http://www.publico.es/espana/451845/trevino-quiere-ser-vasco|publisher=Público|date=8 March 2013}}</ref>
* Similarly, [[Valle de Villaverde]] is part of the autonomous community of Cantabria but surrounded by Biscay, in the Basque autonomous community. Lately local support for integration in the Basque Country has diminished.
* [[Leonesism]] pleads for the establishment of the autonomous community of León separating the provinces of León, Zamora and Salamanca (or in a restricted sense, just the province of León) from the rest of the provinces of the autonomous community of Castile and León, pursuant to the configuration of the former [[Region of León]].
* The [[Ayuntamiento (Spain)|Ayuntamiento]] of [[La Línea de la Concepción]] has asked for permission to call a referendum on the secession of the municipality from the [[province of Cádiz]] in the autonomous community of Andalusia to become a standalone autonomous community,<ref name="EDLínea">{{cite news |title=El 'procés' de La Línea de la Concepción para independizarse de Andalucía muere en el Supremo |url=https://www.eldiario.es/andalucia/cadiz/proces-linea-concepcion-independizarse-andalucia-muere-supremo_1_10552188.html |access-date=28 September 2023 |work=elDiario.es |date=28 September 2023 |language=es}}</ref> citing the special case of bordering Gibraltar.