Following in the footsteps of Kosovo and Montenegro

Catalonia is arriving at a crossroads in its history. In 1714, the country lost a war and was absorbed into the kingdom of Spain. Since then, the nearest the country has come to recovering its independence was the short-lived proclamation of the Catalan Republic in the early 1930s by President Francesc Macià. Until now, that is. Today, Catalonia is closer than ever to recovering its independence as a new state within the European Union.
A powerful movement is growing among the people of Catalonia. It is not led by the government or politicians, but rather by the people, who are demanding that their leaders and the political parties catch up. Last month, more than 1.5 million people poured into the streets of Barcelona to protest against the ruling of Spain’s Constitutional Court, which declared some vital articles of the Catalan Statute of Autonomy related to national symbols, language and self-government to be unconstitutional. At this expression of people power, the word 'independence' was on everyone’s lips.
Unsurprisingly, politicians wanted to lead the demonstration, but they were ignored. By definition, political parties are interested in maintaining the status quo but on this issue the reality of change is staring them in the face. Polls shows that those in favour of independence is now a majority and the politicians will have to address the issue sooner or later.
The path for them to follow now appears clearer than ever. Recently, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that Kosovo’s secession declaration in 2008 had not broken international law.
Kosovo is not an isolated case and comes on the back of the 2006 referendum in favour of independence for Montenegro. The new Eastern European state is now waiting to hear that it has been accepted into the EU fold.
The narrative of Catalonia’s independence now appears clear: a formal declaration of independence from the Parlament, followed by a referendum. The people are ready. The politicians are running out of time.