Catalonia and the Right to Self-Determination from the Perspective of International Law

Abstract

In opposition to the process of integration at the European level, there is an increasing desire for independence within a number of European States such as in Catalonia’s case. Catalans invoke the right to self-determination and argue that they have a right to secession according to international law and that the Spanish Constitution of 1978 does not contradict this right. This essay analyzes the conflict between the principles of territorial integrity and self-determination in international law and explores the challenge which the secessionist movements pose for the European Union.