This working paper is a joint project by Spain’s Elcano Royal Institute and India’s Observer Research Foundation in the context of the commemoration of 60 years of diplomatic relations between India and Spain and the recent official visit of Prime Minister Modi to Madrid.
The crisis in Catalonia, sparked by the regional government’s illegal proclamation of an independent state last month, is already exacting a toll on the Catalan economy.
This special dossier aims to provide an overview and background information on Catalonia’s independence bid, the attempts to ‘internationalise the conflict’ and its European dimension, and the possible future scenarios.
In times of national angst, it is easy to become despondent and fall prey to the false belief that everything is going wrong in Spain.
The attempt to hold an independence referendum in Catalonia has been the focus of a good deal of Spanish foreign policy in recent months.
The economy has recovered from a deep crisis and is growing at more than 3% for the third year running, but the unemployment rate remains stubbornly high at 17.2%, though well down on the peak of 27.1% in 2013.
Spain’s tourism industry will set yet another record this year, but recent tensions have sparked a much-needed debate on its future.
Spain has strengthened its links and presence in the Asia-Pacific area since the launch of its first framework plan for the region in 2000, although more needs to be done to further boost relations.
Spain’s understanding of security is rooted in its conception of the Euro-Atlantic as a space of shared interests, norms and values. This paper proves an overview of Spain’s contribution to Euro-Atlantic security by identifying four relevant areas.
The recent crisis has been a litmus test of Spain’s Europeanism. There has been neither a surge of Euroscepticism nor of anti-immigration sentiment, although the so-called ‘naïf Europeanism’ which used to exist in the country is no longer there either.
The high-level forum in Beijing in May will be an opportunity to address the weaknesses of "One Belt, One Road".
The 2017 Elcano Global Presence Index of the Elcano Royal Instituteranks Spain 12th out of 100 countries with a score of 204.1.
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