Catalonians rattle Madrid with bid for sovereign power

Catalonia's ruling nationalists have launched a daring plan to transform their autonomous region of Spain into a fully fledged sovereign nation in "association" with Madrid. Among the proposals are for Catalonia to have an independent voice in Europe, field its own sports teams in international competitions and for Catalan to be made the official language of public employees.

The proposal, to be debated by the conservative Convergence and Union (CiU) party leadership next week, augments the prosperous region's already extensive powers, and has rattled the government in Madrid.

Javier Arenas, the government spokesman on relations with the regions, dismissed the initiative as an attempt to outflank independence plans announced by Basque nationalists. "There seems to be a contest over who is more nationalist," Mr Arenas said yesterday. Madrid has already condemned as unconstitutional Basque plans for a negotiated independence, which they fear could herald the dismemberment of Spain.

The Catalans want their president to be on equal footing with the Spanish Prime Minister, Jose Maria Aznar, and the Catalan flag to be superior to Spain's within the region. Catalonia also proposes to adopt the Basque system of raising taxes: that is, collect them first, then send a share to Madrid. At present, Madrid collects Catalonia's taxes and hands what is due to Barcelona. The system has always irked Catalans, who are net contributors to Spanish coffers but always have to plead for cash.

The sovereignty scheme, leaked to the pro-CiU daily La Vanguardia, is galling to the government because the CiU is an ally of the Popular Party in Catalonia, and former coalition partner of the PP in Madrid. But Catalan nationalists suffered badly from their association with Mr Aznar's party and are desperate to claw back lost ground.

Catalans say their plan does not require constitutional amendment, only that the founding document of Spanish democracy be "interpreted elastically". Pascual Maragall, the charismatic Catalan Socialist leader who as Mayor of Barcelona transformed a dreary backwater into a chic European metropolis, also promises reform of Catalonia's statute of autonomy, to reinstate powers he says have been eroded.

"There's been backtracking on the recognition of Spain as a plural state," he said. "Five more years of Aznar, the language of Aznar, and Spain will explode," he warned.