Why do basques want independence from spain

Eta has 'completely dismantled'. No impunity for Eta, says Spanish PM. Basque group Eta disbands after 50 years. Victims' groups reject Eta apology. Eta insurgents lay down their arms. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The chain linked the cities of San Sebastian and Bilbao with Vitoria. Image source, EPA. Participants are calling for greater self-determination. Victims' groups reject Eta apology From a campaign of violence to disarmament - an Eta timeline What is Eta?

By Sonya Dowsett. This Oct. Among the verdant mountains of Basque Country, which borders France, a once-violent campaign for independence has petered out, with generous fiscal autonomy from Madrid helping to keep popular agitation for independence in check.

The Catalan government is not calling for a Basque-style deal, insisting instead on independence after declaring overwhelming support for secession in an Oct. Catalan flags hang from balconies alongside the Basque flag in a sign of solidarity, but Bilbao is prosperous and peaceful. Where once unionist politicians needed bodyguards and car bombings were a constant fear, tourists now crowd the taverns of the old town and the world-famous Guggenheim museum.

Just 17 percent of Basques want independence and less than half would like to hold a referendum on the issue, according to a poll carried out by the university of Deusto. Catalonia, meanwhile, is split down the middle. Not necessarily, says Bartomeus, the political scientist, whose data-mining shows that the big swing towards Catalan separatism in came from the older generation and CiU.

That would bring the Catalans more into line with the Basques, who collect their own taxes and remit less to Madrid. But the differences between ordinary Spaniards and Catalans weigh heavily. More than a dozen people I have spoken to underline that Basque contentment owes a lot to Eta finally ending its armed campaign in But reconciliation is going much faster than we thought.

The Catalans do not have the same tools. The rest is what we, the Basque institutions, give them. The Spanish parliament ruled it out in and the PNV withdrew the plan. We like guarantees and to keep what we have. We are not up for leaps in the dark.

Spain needs to play its cards well too, because the desire for independence of these two culturally distinct nations is not going to go away. We are different people. We do things our way. We really want to get on with our neighbours but we want to have control of our own affairs. Follow FTMag on Twitter to find out about our latest stories first. Listen and subscribe to Everything Else, the FT culture podcast, at ft. Manage cookies.

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