Spain- Catalonia - Catalonia’s Government and opposition parties, as mandated by our voters, have together decided to hold a popular vote on self-determination on 9 November 2014. Catalans will be asked a two-part question: “Do you want Catalonia to be a state? If so, do you want Catalonia to be an independent state?” But why does Catalonia need to take such a step at this time?

Catalonia is an ancient European nation, bordering the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean Sea. Our origins can be found...