'Le Monde" asks the European Union to pay attention to Catalonia's push for independence

Huge amount of coverage in the international press, even today, on the referendums of December 13

The prestigious Parisian newspaper, Le Monde, opens today's edition with a front page article about the referendums for independence taking place on December 13 and on its inside pages is running an editorial that says that what is happening in Catalonia should be getting the attention of the European Union.

The newspaper's top stories include coverage of the summit in Copenhagen as well as one titled, "Nationalist Catalans organize a referendum". The article's byline carries the name of Vic Jean-Jacquies Bozonnet, que underlines the importance of the immigrant vote.

More important still, however, is the publication of an editorial in the newspaper titled "Le Mal Catalan" [roughly translated as "The Catalan Unease"] that demands that Europe pay atention to the phenomenon that is happening in the Principat.

The editorial describes the events that will happen on Sunday and affirms that "Catalonia is not the only region in Western Europe that is working on its desires for emancipation," naming also the Basque Country, Flanders, and Scotland. According to Le Monde, the existence of the European Union has given these nations a "peaceful, common framework" that lets us imagine a "break without violence." "Modifying the old borders nowadays is no longer synonymous with violence." The French newspaper also says that the expansion of the EU towards the East has given wings to Catalan Nationalism "with reason" since "these countries are smaller and have a weaker economy" than Catalonia.

Originally published in Vilaweb on 12 December 2009