Sovereignty Conflicts in Europe: Basis for a solution

11/11/2020 - 11/13/2020

Azkuna Zentroa - Alhóndiga Bilbao

This conference is to present the bases for the writing for a code of good practice for the democratic management of territorial conflicts of sovereignty in accordance with the values and principles that inspire the European project.

Presentation

Organised by Eusko Ikaskuntza and the IInstitut d’Estudis Catalans and with the participation of a wide range of academic, institutional and socio-political partners, the main aim of this conference is to present the bases for the writing for a code of good practice for the democratic management of territorial conflicts of sovereignty in accordance with the values and principles that inspire the European project.

We are referring to an instrument for the resolution of sovereignty conflicts within states, resulting from a collaborative process in which more than 60 internationally recognised experts in the field have participated. From now on, the proposal will be worked within the framework of a partnership that has brought together a large number of socio-political actors and will be offered to international, European and state organisations for implementation.

At a time when new concepts of sovereignty are emerging, we believe that this code can help to strengthen the European project, both from the point of view of reaffirming its founding values and from a pragmatic point of view, by contributing to its stability and to a of governance that strengthens the links citizens and their institutions of reference.

In order to contextualise and understand the basis of the code of good practice in the context in which we live, in this Conference we will have the opportunity to talk to some of the experts who have helped prepare it. In addition, with the aim of strengthening the collaboration of the initiative, we will have a table with the perspectives of the stateless nations, opening the socio-political debate.

The context generated by the COVID-19 leads us to organise a mixed conference. In order to respond responsibly to the new measures established, on the 11th and 12th the participation will be online. On the 13th it will be possible to participate in face to face and online. We invite you to connect and come to Azkuna Zentroa on the 13th.

These exceptional circumstances open up a window of opportunity for us to consider this conference as the first congress on the subject of full international collaboration. Connect and participate!

Debate - Thematic axes

The conferences will be developed around these thematic axes:

I. What is a ‘territorial conflict of sovereignty’? The object and purpose of the code of good practice.

Objective: This discussing group would seek to define the characteristics and conditions of territorial conflicts of sovereignty, as well as the general framework for their democratic resolution.

One of the main contributions of the process of European building process has been the reduction of territorial disputes sovereign states. However, the creation of a common European space has not yet provided a solution to the conflicts in which certain territorial political communities integrated into existing states claim the right to freely decide their political status, including the possibility of constituting themselves as a new sovereign state. A European code of good practice for the resolution of this type of conflict should allow, in the first place, an adequate characterization of the parties involved and the legitimacy of their respective claims: on the one hand, the parent state, and the debates related to its territorial form and the way of understanding sovereignty: unitary, federal and/or plurinational states; and, on the other hand, the subject that demands to have more or full territorial sovereignty: stateless nations or peoples. Secondly, this code should establish certain general principles that allow for the fair and democratic management of such conflicts: the democratic principle, that of respect for minorities and fundamental rights or that of legality and legal security, among others.

This section does not expect to address in detail the conditions of clarity that such a code could imply, but rather the framework, values, principles and general definitions.

II. Why should Europe intervene? Interest, reasons and pragmatics of the code of good practice.

Objective: In this section we would try to reflect on the convenience of elaborating and proposing from the European institutions, in a broad sense, a code for the democratic management of territorial conflicts of sovereignty at European level.

Given the varied constitutional response that the States offer in these cases, the very existence of a European democratic space would recommend the creation of a shared framework or code of good practices that would allow the establishment of basic procedural standards applicable in present and future conflicts. Inasmuch as these conflicts have an internal or domestic aspect and another external or European one, a multilevel procedural coherence would be sought, so it is relevant in this discussion group to pay attention to the articulation the State and European legal s. The internal incentives for the parties in conflict are clear - social, political and economic stability - and the external incentives, on a European scale, would be related to the democratic deepening of Europe and the opening of the debate on its future model, as well as the possible strengthening of the European project. Likewise, once the opportunity for European intervention and the conditions for its possible justification have been determined, it would be a matter of analysing its current or future legal possibilities, the institutional framework for intervention, as well as the implications that could arise from the establishment of a common European protocol of good practice.

III. How should Europe intervene? The content of the code of good practice.

Objective: This discussion group would seek to propose the content of a code of good practice for the democratic management of conflicts of sovereignty within states.

First of all, it will be necessary to deepen the open debates on the general legal and political framework in which the democratic resolution of these conflicts is based -right of self-determination, right to decide and/or right to secession- following the reflections gathered in the first discussion table. Next, it would be a matter of reflecting on the formal and concrete material conditions that can lead to a fair and democratic resolution of these conflicts. In other words, what has come to be called the "conditions of clarity", among others: the definition of the decision-making subjects and areas of decision, the combination of deliberative, participation and direct democracy processes, the quorum of participation and the majorities required in the case of referenda, the conditions of the question to be asked, the reversibility of the decision and the ability of the processes, the inter-party guarantees a posteriori, etc. Finally, it could be proposed to consider various models of European intervention depending on the characteristics of the territorial conflict in question: the determination of the competent European body in each case, the possible instruments of facilitation, mediation or resolution, the hypothetical definition of special territorial status or the conditions of the possible internal enlargement of the European , etc.

Programme

Simultaneous translation will be provided. The conference can be followed in English, Basque and Spanish.

11.11.2020 - Afternoon session

16:30

Opening

Ana URKIZA. Eusko Ikaskuntza (eu, es)
Joandomènec ROS i ARAGONÈS. Institut d’Estudis Catalans (cat, es)

16:45

Presentation and contextualisation of the initiative and the conference
Presentation of the opening lecture

Beatriz AKIZU. Eusko Ikaskuntza (eu, es)
Mario ZUBIAGA. UPV-EHU (eu, es)
Jaume LÓPEZ. Universitat Pompeu Fabra (cat, es)

17:00

Opening lecture

Claiming Sovereignty. States, nations and Self-Determination in the European Context
Michael KEATING. University of Aberdeen

17:45

Break

18:00

Round table

The push for self-determination in Europe and the limits of the current framework of international conflict resolution

Moderation: Xabier MACIAS. Galiza, President of Coppieters Foundation

Davyth HICKS. Cornwall, European Language Equality Network (ELEN)
Linguistic Rights at the core of cultural diversity and peaceful coexistence
Maggie LENNON. Scotland, Women for Independence
The role of social movements as actors for civic, democratic and peaceful change
Antonia LUCIANI. Corsica, Arritti journal
Understanding silenced realities through the role of Media and the struggle to have your own voice
Anthony SOARES. Northern Ireland, Centre For Cross Border Studies (CCCB)
The impact of Brexit in the future of the a peaceful Irish Border and the right to self-determination

(Round table co-organised with the Coppieters Foundation. “This conference is financially supported by the European Parliament. The European Parliament is not liable for the opinions expressed by the speakers during the event”).

12.11.2020 - FULL DAY

9:30

Opening. Presentation of the day

Beatriz AKIZU. Eusko Ikaskuntza (eu, es)

I. Why should Europe intervene? Interest, reasons and pragmatics of the code of good practice