Assemblea Nacional Catalana a Brusseŀles

Info

L'Assembla Nacional Catalana a Brussel·les (ANCBRU).
Catalan Assembly in Brussels (ANCBRU).

Geschiedenis

Who are we?
Every one of us in the Assemblea Nacional Catalana (ANC) a Brussel•les shares create the political and social conditions which, very soon, will put us in a position to achieve this objective. We want Catalonia to be an independent, social and democratic state of law, alongside other European nations. We claim the right to self-determination for our peoplethe same dream as millions of Catalans in towns and villages in our country: that our nation be a free state in Europe, with the same degree of sovereignty as any other. No more and no less. With this in mind, we are working to. The time has come for us to decide, together, our common future.

Why in Brussels?
The ANC a Brussel•les was founded in January 2013 as a territorial assembly, similar to those all over Catalonia. However, it has a special task because it is in the capital of Europe, where the political bodies which govern the EU are based, clearly a key location for the sovereignty process. This makes it a strategic platform for trying to take to the heart of the EU institutions the democratic message of a country that wants to speak with its own voice there without having to pass via Madrid.

Can I take part?
Of course! The Assemblea is a plural body, open to everyone who feels that Catalonia needs to become a free and sovereign state. By virtue of its specific nature, the ANC a Brussel•les has established particularly close ties with the sectoral assembly already working on the design of public administration in the new independent country. Nevertheless, our branch includes citizens of all backgrounds who live in Belgium and work in very different fields. Within their specialities, everyone can make a big contribution to this common challenge.

Internationalise the process?
External action is one of the central focuses on the road to independence and this is the area where we can contribute most. In the venture on which we are embarking, the ANC a Brussel•les, in coordination with the sectoral assembly for Catalonia abroad, has a long way to go on internationalisation, on explaining rigorously, clearly and transparently what the objective of full national sovereignty consists of. Added to that, our distance from Catalonia gives us a unique perspective which could help to make the organisation´s arguments even more convincing.

Which specific objectives are being worked on?
The organisation is working intensely, with an eye on the public consultation to be held in 2014 to exercise the right to decide. On the way, all kinds of activities are being organised to keep alive the debate on a state of our own and teach the arguments that underpin its legitimacy. Some of them aim to produce tools for a rigorous, indepth analysis and study of the path to Catalan sovereignty, always against the backdrop of Europe, others to widen and consolidate the majority voting YES amongst the numerous Catalan community resident in Belgium and, above all, to spread information about the process to economic, political and social circles in Belgium and to the European Union institutions.

And the day after?
And once independence has been achieved? The ANC is sure to step up its work as it pursues one of its essential lines of action: to secure full recognition for our state from the international community, and especially from the EU. We know that this will be a complex task, because of the objections raised by Madrid, far from the attitude shown by London to the Scottish referendum. These discreet, constant efforts must start now, by preparing the ground, and will have to continue after the majority of the citizens of Catalonia have voted in favour of being, in the words of the slogan leading the massive demonstration in Barcelona on 11 September 2012, a new European state.