EU Regions Committee Head +CLRAE v.Chair Lambertz to EF on Tabarnia Split from Catalonia in Spain

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- EU Regions' Committee new President in Brussels, and CLRAE vice-President in Strasbourg, Karl-Heintz Lambertz, speaking to "Eurofora" on the latest Developments of the Catalan Issue in Spain, observed, inter alia, also that the Recent Popular Moves for a Detachment of the so-called "Tabarnia" Area from Catalonia Region, (fuelled mainly by Political Disagreements on a Controversial and Failed Unilateral Secessionist Attempt by Former Leaders of the latter), is Not a Unique Phenomenon, since it has Similar, even if not totaly Identical, Examples also elsewhere in Europe (See Infra).

+ And, additional Facts found by "Eurofora", clearly indicate, that the overall "Tabarnia" Issue, might be much More Serious than it seems at First Sight, (as we shall see Infra)... 

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Lambertz is also a Long-Time Leader of the German-speaking Region in Belgium, and an Experienced vice-President of CoE's PanEuropean Local/Regional Democracy Watchdog : the 47 Member Countries-wide Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE), as well as a Writer of comprehensive Books about Regions in Europe, with a Deep and Extensive Knowledge of Regional realities throughout the entire Continent, and well beyond.

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"Tabarnia" is a rather New reference to a Coherent and the most Important Part of Catalonia's Region in Spain, which reportedly pre-existed, as a satirical Geo-Political Idea, at least since 2012, but Became Famous mainly after the December 2017 Spanish Local/Regional Elections (see: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/spanishunionistsgrowincatalonia.html, etc), and particularly since a Big Popular Demonstration in Barcelona, at the Beginning of March 2018.

 

Opposed to the Unilateral Secessionism from Spain, pushed by Catalonia Region's Former Leaders, on the Contrary, the Supporters of "Tabarnia" Idea want, for their Area, to Leave and Get Out of such a controversial, separatist Catalan reality, by Becoming Autonomous, while still Remaining inside the Spanish Country and in the EU.

Their Geographic Area includes mainly Barcelona (Capital) City and Taragona, as well as Many Other adjacent Lands, which extend accross Most of the Seaside, and Bring Together some among the Richest and more Developed Parts of the Spanish Catalan Region, (See relevant MAPs, attached herewith).

>>> Most Important : In that "Tarbania" Area, a more or less Clear Majority against the pro-Unilateral Secessionism or Independentist Parties has Recently Won the Greatest Number of Votes, particularly in the December 2017 Regional Elections in Spain's Catalonia, in Addition to the Fact that the Separatist Parties Only got, Region-Wide, a Minority of 47%, (receiving a Slightly Larger Number of Seats just Because the current Catalan Representative System notoriously Favors particularly the Outer and/or Rural Areas, which are Backing them, in a way which obviously Provokes an InEquality among Voters, and/or more or less UnDemocratic Results on the Number of Representatives : See http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/spanishunionistsgrowincatalonia.html).

Indeed, as relevant MAPs Published also by "Wikipedia" clearly show, in the "Tabarnia" Area, (around Barcelona and most of the Seaside), Most of the Voters have Refused the Separatism, (as Also in some Other, but Smaller and Differend Areas, Located Elsewhere).

And this Localized Phenomenon should, in Fact, be even Stronger than what these "Wikipedia" MAPs show, Because they, curiously, Exclude the "Podemos" Voters, who (without necessarily supporting directly that "Tabarnia" idea), are, however, Against Separatism, them too...

=> So that, the "Tabarnia" Movement obviously Supports a clearly Localized Revendication of an Area whose Population Mostly feels United Together by a Barcelona/Taragona-Centered Majority Aspiration towards a Distinct Common Identity, proclaimed to be Both ..."Tabarnian", and Catalan, as well as Spanish and European, (as its Fans Explain even at several, specially dedicated Websites).

The assumed Fact that it's also, for many, a Satirical "Parody" (See Infra), does not exclude the Additional Fact that, at any case, it's, UnQuestionably, Based on a Localized Political Will clearly Directed Against Catalan Separatism.

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- It's in this overall Context, that Presidet Lambertz told "Eurofora", in particular, that a Similar (even if Not necessarily 100% Identical) Move, as that of "Tabarnia"s aspiration to Leave a Separatist Catalonia, for anOther Region, Exists Already also Elsewhere in Europe :  

- As, "f.ex., in Italy, and particularly at the Region of Venice", a Part of which had expressed the Wish to Go Elsewhere (inside the Italian Country), as Lambertz observed, in Reply to a relevant "Eurofora"s Question.

- However, Lambertz, (who is an eminent member of the Socialist Group inside the CLRAE), also Added, at his own Initiative, and speaking more widely about the Manifold Developments about the Catalan Issue, from Various and Different aspects, that he did "not like" some Other Attempts by certain Politicians to Exploit the Catalan Controversy for this or another Political Interest, as he said, as a matter of General Principle.

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- But it's also a Fact that ECR's President, who Signed Today a "revised Cooperation Agreement" with CLRAE's President, Gudrun Mosler-Törnstrom from Austria, while Speaking at CLRAE's Plenary about Prospects to extend EU's Cooperation towards various Non-EU Foreign Countries, even Out of Europe, was, by a Symbolic "Coincidence", visibly sitting Aside a Seat offiicialy reserved for ..."China" :  I.e. the Only UN SC Permanent Member which has Not Yet any Official Status inside the CoE in Strasbourg, (Russia and USA already having one, as well as the UK and France), and notoriously does Not Like "Secessionist" movements in any Region, at all... (See relevant PHOTO).

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+ Moreover, anOther Official of the CoE, (Strasbourg's PanEuropean Organisation for Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law), Afterwards told "Eufofora" that (in a Different Context),  the Canadian Law has a provision for any Region which might, eventually, wish to Seek to become Independent, that If a Part of it, eventually, Wishes, on the Contrary, to Stay inside the Country (Canada), then, it's Free to do so...

 
Canada holds, already since 1996+, a Special Status inside the CoE, (as also the USA, Japan, Australia, Mexico, etc), and some of its Representatives are Often Active, particularly in various CoE's Inter-Governemental Committees, as well as, especially in CoE's Parliamentary Assembly, etc.

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- Meanwhile, Clarifying further that "Tabarnia" Movement Issue, while Speaking to "Eurofora" earlier in Brussels, the Experienced EU Parliament's Director of Communications (including Press/Medias), Jaume Duch, (who knows well Barcelone since his own origin was from that City), stressed that it was, initially, a mainly "Satyrical" or "Comedy" Move, staging "a Parody" of the Secessionists, to whom they are Opposed in Catalonia.

+ In Addition, "they (i.e. "Tabarnia" Supporters) don't speak about Secession from the Spanish Country, but just for the Departure of their Area from the current Catalan Region, on the Level of Local/Regional DeCentralisation", Duch further Clarified explicitly.

 
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Having, indeed, in Addition to a Distinct, specific Name, Flag and Territory, as well as Core Political Ideology, also ... a potential "President", (initially Personified in the face of Comical Theater/Cinema Actor Albert Boadella : whose "¨Presidential Address" got more than 300.000 Views in "YouTube"),

"Tabarnia" (whose "Official" Twitter Account -among Many- has now almost 60.000 Followers), however, particularly after the Success of its March 2018 Popular Demonstration (whose Organizers revendicate about 200.000 Participants),

and some 110.000 Web Viewers of its Press Conference in EU Parliament during the latest EU Summit in Brussels on 22/3/2018,

as well as 648.000 Mentions of its Name in Twitter only Last Christmas already, nowadays Cited by "BBC", "EuroNews", etc., it might Become a quite Serious Affair, sooner or later.

"Tabarnia" has, at least, the Merit to substitute rapidly wide-spreading Critical Public Debate, with a sense of Humour based on Serious Facts, to Abrupt Unilateral Moves by a Minority Risking to provoke Dangerous Violent Conflicts, and, at any case, it has certainly Not Stopped from making People Speak about her !...