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A binational and confederal republic for Catalonia and Aran? What the world shows us
States that recognize their plurinational character
Although quietly, some states have officially recognized the existence of more than one nation within them. A well known case is that of Quebec: in 2006 the Canadian Parliament approved a motion introduced by then-Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, which granted recognition by the House of Commons to the fact that the "Québécois form a nation within a united Canada."
Some states, such as Canada, the UK, Bolivia and Ethiopia, have officially recognized the existence of more than one nation within them
There are others cases in which the Constitution includes provisions that recognize their plurinational character. The degree of respect of this principle in every case is a whole other story. But there are examples such as Ethiopia, the Constitution of which mentions the "nations, nationalities and peoples" being part of it. Or the Russian Federation's, when its speaks of its "multinational people." Or Bolivia, with the Constitution promoted by Evo Morales defining the "native indigenous nations and peoples" that are part of the country.Without having a Constitution, UK prime ministers have also recognized the country's plurinational character. Gordon Brown said the UK was "world's most successful multinational state", while David Cameron insisted that it is a union of nations. The English, the Scots, the Irish, the Welsh and the Cornish overtly affirm their national character, and even Gibraltar Prime Minister Fabian Picardo openly speaks of the "Gibraltarian nation" without having any intention to secede from the UK.
Binational federations and confederations
The last remaining binational confederation in Europe disappeared when the Union of Serbia and Montenegro dissolved in 2006. Some sectors of Flemish nationalism advocate the conversion of Belgium into a de facto binational confederation (made up of Flanders and Wallonia) with a small autonomous territory in the eastern, German-speaking area of Eupen.
Some sectors of Flemish nationalism advocate the conversion of Belgium into a de facto binational confederation
As regards federations, the "binational" notion can also be found in Cyprus peace talks since 2008, which according to the bilateral agreements between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots should ultimately lead to the establishment of a two-state federal republic in the island.Demands for recognition of a trinational character of the state are also found in Malaysia, mainly among pro-sovereignty sectors in Sabah and Sarawak. These sectors consider that the Malaysian federation is made up of three nations: Malaya on the mainland, plus Sarawak and Sabah -which used to be separate UK colonies- in the island of Borneo
In other cases, the "binational" concept is completely dissociated from any federal or confederal structure. For example, supporters of a one-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict often highlight the need to create a unitary state that defines itself as "binational".
Asymmetric states accommodating small territories
A Catalan confederal model would clearly have a big territorial and demographic imbalance between its two constituent states: Aran occupies just 2% of the area and a tiny 0.15% of the population. The question arises whether, under that context, it would be more practical to have an asymmetric model where Aran enjoyed wide self-government -constitutionalized if needed- within an eventual Catalan Republic.
A Catalan confederal model would clearly have a big territorial and demographic imbalance between its two constituent states
In Europe several cases similar to that can be found, such as for example the Aland Islands -an autonomous part of Finland- or the Faroes and Greenland -self-governing islands within Denmark. None of these three territories has its own Constitution, although the Faroes are discussing a draft text, a move that has also been considered in Aland. It is also important to note that the respective state languages -Danish and Finnish- are not official in Greenland -where only Greenlandic enjoys that status- or Aland -Swedish, which by the way is also an official official in the rest of Finland.Another example is the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of four countries: the Netherlands as such, and the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten. The Charter of the Kingdom governs relations between the four parts, each one having its own basic law. In practice, however, the Kingdom as such has little capacity to act, and the Netherlands deal with the foreign affairs and the economic supervision of the three Caribbean countries.
These asymmetric models, however, do not always guarantee a permanent and satisfactory accommodation for the smallest unit. The most recent case is that of Norfolk Island, Australia, which used to have its own self-government institutions despite having only 1,600 residents. Given the successive economic crises suffered by Norfolk, the Parliament of Australia decided to abolish its institutions in 2015.