Forget Catalan independence... Immigration is now a key problem for Spain - analysis by Millie Cooke
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Catalan independence has been an ongoing point of concern for central government in Spain, particularly since the illegal push for independence in 2017. But it was thrust back into the spotlight when Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez came to a deal to form a government with Catalan separatists from the Junts party.
The deal saw Sanchez agree to give amnesty to those prosecuted for their involvement in the failed 2017 Catalan independence referendum. But in spite of the electoral pact, a recent poll showed that support for independence among Catalan voters has fallen to 41 per cent.
But Junts also has its eyes on other issues - namely, immigration.
Now that support for seccesation among Catalan voters is falling, space for other dividing lines in politics is opening up, José Pablo Ferrándiz, head of public opinion in Spain for pollster Ipsos told Politico.
He said: 'It is significant that Junts has sought to take control of the immigration issue because it’s a tool that it can use in the Catalan elections as a way of attracting certain voter."
Immigration hasn't typically taken centre stage in Spanish politics, but the issue is heating up across Europe, reflected in the bloc's decision to introduce historic new border controls last week.
The Migration Pact was approved by EU ambassadors earlier this month. The new crackdown reflects growing concern that the EU's free movement policy was preventing its member states from policing their own borders. The plans limit the number of people coming into the EU, as well as coming to an agreement designed to share the cost of hosting migrants and refugees.
And the growing concern across Europe about migration is also being reflected in Spain's political offering.
Some 56,000 undocumented migrants arrived in Spain last year - and parties on the right wing of Spanish politics are tapping into concern over the issue to secure political capital.
Right wing party Vox - which is loudly opposed to pro-independence parties - has been vocal in its campaign to crack down on migration.
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But calls for increased border controls is also coming from inside the independence movement. Juntz has been taking a tougher line on the issue, and recently announced that it had won concessions from Spain's government to control migratory flows into Catalonia.
This comes off the back of polling from last year which showed that 60 per cent of Catalans think immigration is too high - a notable increase from the number of Catalans who want independece from Spain. Interestingly, this figure increases to 64 per cent among Junts voters specifically.
But the figure is perhaps unsurprisng when you look at the numbers. There are 36 towns in Catalonia where people who originate from other countries make up more than a quarter of the population.
So while the force of the Catalan independence movement may be ebbing away, Spain needs to keep an eye on the void its leaving behind.
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