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EU Policy towards autonomous regions with a potential to be independent - Catalonia and Scotland
Havlín, Kryštof ; Mejstřík, Martin (advisor) ; Kasáková, Zuzana (referee)
The bachelor's thesis aims to analyze the policy of the European Union towards European autonomous regions which have the potential to become independent. It focuses especially on the issue of EU membership for regions that have a tendency to separate from an EU Member State. Two major separatist events took place in the European Union in the last decade. In 2014, Scotland declared a referendum approved by the central government on independence from the UK. In 2017, the independent Republic of Catalonia, that wanted to secede from the Kingdom of Spain on the basis of an illegal referendum, was declared. The passive attitude of the European Union towards the aggravated situation in the territory of its member state led me to address the issue from the perspective of the EU whose representatives consider these developments to be internal affairs of the states. The main goal of the bachelor's thesis is to find out what the approach of the EU to the mentioned regions is in terms of potential membership in case these regions become independent. At the same time, the bachelor's thesis should clarify why the European Union holds these positions and what their legal framework is. The paper also presents hypothetical scenarios for the accession of potentially independent regions of Catalonia and Scotland to...
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International impact of Catalonia independence efforts
Zamlar, Patrick ; Karásek, Tomáš (advisor) ; Knutelská, Viera (referee)
The master's thesis International impact of Catalonia independence efforts aims to analyze what is the international impact caused by Catalonia's efforts to separate from Spain. It does so by establishing theoretical framework of Conflict theory and internationalized conflicts. Within this framework, the Catalonia's case is examined. The thesis provides wide and extensive background on Catalan independence in order to understand how independence efforts in Catalonia emerged and evolved. The thesis also explains the means which are used by Catalan representatives in order to promote the independence internationally. Brief comparative examples of other regions within Europe are provided (with one notable mention outside of European continent) which seek for independence, as some of the features are common for all of them. Later on, the thesis features analytical part in which international impacts of Catalonia's strive for independence are examined. Those include e.g. effects on the European Union, other separatist regions, and more. Important explanation is offered about possible economic consequences with the usage of quantitative data. The thesis in its final stage applies conflict theory on Catalonia's case. It also uses all the before explained historical background. It concludes with assessment...
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Dual criminality test under the European arrest warrant within the context of prosecuting the Catalan politicians.
Khinová, Gabriela ; Tomášek, Michal (advisor) ; Gřivna, Tomáš (referee)
The thesis deals with the issue of dual criminality test under the European arrest warrant. The aim of the thesis is to analyze the way of applying the dual criminality test between the Member States of the European Union while surrendering persons. It focuses on the European arrest warrants issued against Catalan politicians in relation to the Catalan referendum regarding the independence from the Kingdom of Spain and the subsequent decisions of the Belgian and German courts. The thesis is divided into seven parts. The first part introduces the dual criminality test, including the methods of interpretation or its problematic aspects. The second part summarizes the long-standing genesis of judicial cooperation in criminal matters at the European level, leading to the adoption of the European arrest warrant, which will enable a better understanding of the continuing will to apply the dual criminality test. The provisions of the European arrest warrant are discussed in the following part. The case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union concerning the dual criminality test is introduced as well. As the thesis is set in the context of the Catalan crisis, the fourth part highlights the key moments, adopted legal acts and the acts of the main protagonists of the case, which not only led to the...
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Party System of Catalonia
Baranyaiová, Gabriela ; Perottino, Michel (advisor) ; Říchová, Blanka (referee)
The Parliament of Catalonia was restored in 1980 within the transition to democracy in Spain. From the beginning the coalition of Convergència i Unió was dominated in party system. This coalition was consisted by two parties and had absolute parliamentarian majority between years 1984 and 1995. Its dominance was disrupted by Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya in elections in 1999 and also in 2003. Until then, there was a bipolar system where CiU won elections to the Parliament of Catalonia and PSC-PSOE elections to Congreso de Diputados in this autonomous region. CiU won every Catalan parliamentary elections till 2012. After the collapse of CiU in 2015, one of its parties, Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya, started to cooperate with Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya primarily because of Catalonia's independence. The number of relevant parties started to increase in 2015. The aim of the thesis is to answer following questions: what party system according to Sartori's theory occurred/occurs in the Parliament of Catalonia and whether there was a change of party system or not. If yes, then which circumstances affected this change. Furthermore, the results of the elections to the Parliament of Catalonia and to Congreso de Diputados in Catalonia are compared. This comparison seeks to answer the question of...
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Slovenia while struggling to leave Sicialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Houška, Daniel ; Pikal, Kamil (advisor) ; Šístek, František (referee)
The Bachelor's Thesis will explore the economic arguments used by Slovenia while struggling to leave Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFR Yugoslavia). The breakup of SFR Yugoslavia started in the second half of 80's of the 20th century due to political destabilisation and economic crisis. Slovenia was dissatisfied with federal government in Belgrade, which started to pursue aggressive Serbian nationalism and ignored Slovenian demands for a wider autonomy and saw a problem in redistribution of federal finance from taxes. Continuous Slovenian feeling that its economy is misused without adequate options of self-government and obvious lack of motivation of Serbia to debate about changes in the federation led to declaration of independence by Slovenia in 1991. Economic arguments ought to be tested after a brief war between Slovenia and Serbia in the new era of an independent Slovenia. Slovenia faced challenge in the form of a transformation into a market economy, which could have been used in their position at the border of Western Europe. At the same time Slovenia's effort to join European and International economic structures meant a test if it had truly achieved a better economic situation by declaring independence. The second part of Thesis compares Slovenian independence with Catalonian separatism,...
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Separatist tendencies in Europe - case of Catalonia and Padania
Voráček, Michal ; Romancov, Michael (advisor) ; Riegl, Martin (referee)
This bachelor thesis is devoted to Catalan and Padanian (North Italian) separatism. It aims to analyze and compare separatist tendencies in two European regions - in Catalonia and in the region of so-called Padania on the background of the historical development within their home states. The thesis is a combination of a description and a comparative case study and is divided into two main parts. The theoretical part deals with the definition of the basic terms that are crucial for understanding the issue of separatism and that pervade the whole thesis. After that, the cleavage theory of Stein Rokkan and Seymour Martin Lipset is briefly introduced, especially the centre-periphery cleavage on which the analytic part is based. The analytic part deals with the origin and rise of Catalan and, respectively, Padanian separatism, with an emphasis on the historical development of the analyzed regions, their current position within Spain and Italy, the main factors affecting separatist and nationalist tendencies and the contemporary political representation in both regions. In the final chapter, the obtained data are compared with the aim to find the basic similarities and differences between the separatism in Catalonia and so-called Padania.
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Media image of Catalan crisis in Czech Republic
März, Michäel ; Vlasák, Zbyněk (advisor) ; Miessler, Jan (referee)
The bachelor thesis Media image of Catalan crisis in Czech Republic is focused on media coverage of events related to the Catalan independence referendum in autumn 2017. Specifically, it focuses on the period of its second half, while the subject of the analysis is a sample of 301 articles published by iDNES.cz, iROZHLAS.cz and Parlamentní listy. The research is based on quantitative content analysis theory, which studies how much the selected media informed about the Catalan crisis and how this space changed over time. It was also interested in the thematic context of the event and which personalities were most mentioned in connection with the topic. For a more detailed analysis of space given to the individual parties of the conflict, the quotes published by each medium were also analyzed. The last part of the analysis consists of the mentioned reasons of growing Catalan emancipation and the Catalan crisis in general.
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External Action of Catalonia: the Path Towards Independence?
Körtingová, Gabriela ; Menclová, Barbora (advisor) ; Mejstřík, Martin (referee)
This bachelor thesis deals with Catalan's external action and its role in seeking independence. The research focuses on the strategy and institutions formed by the autonomous government of Catalonia since 1978, through which this autonomous community is seeking to get the idea of independence at international level and gain support for it. The aim of the thesis is to prove that foreign relations of a non-state entity could play an important role its efforts to promote independence, and to contribute to the knowledge of the topic in the Czech environment. The paper describes the development of Catalan external actions since the adoption of a new democratic constitution of Spain from 1978, both in terms of the emergence of new institutions and of its mission and strategic goals. The first two parts of the thesis are separated by a chronological milestone, the year of 2006, and deal with the development of Catalan external action. Its third part is a brief analysis of the attitude of the European Union and the central government of Spain on the issue of conducting Catalan paradiplomacy. The whole thesis examines how singular legislative changes and political leaders have helped Catalonia to use its external actions as a method of promoting independence. In the conclusion, three hypotheses regarding...
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Economic Paradiplomacy – Spanish Experience
Skrbková, Tereza ; Peterková, Jana (advisor) ; Trávníčková, Zuzana (referee)
The diploma thesis deals with the topic of economic paradiplomacy, which connects the issues of economic diplomacy and paradiplomacy. It is focused on goals of subnational units within their economic paradiplomacy and their determination in comparison to goals in the economic diplomacy of state. The thesis puts a special emphasis on Spain and it is dedicated to two Spanish regions: Catalonia and Valencian Community. It introduces the aims and subjects of economic diplomacy of Spain, Catalonia and Valencian Community. The final chapter compares all three entities and their approach to the economic diplomacy.
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