Muscle-Flexing regions show divided Spain by Daniel Woolls
MADRID, Spain -- To the doomsayers, it's a recipe for Spain to lose a piece of itself and eventually fall apart. To others it will be a milestone on Spain's long march out of a dictatorial past. The issue that is convulsing this nation of 44 million is a proposal by the legislature of semiautonomous Catalonia, the wealthy northeastern area centered around Barcelona, to gain an even broader degree of self-rule. Spain's Socialist government has agreed in principle. The battle is over where to set limits.
At a broader level, Catalonia's campaign is being watched by the European Union, where the idea of devolved regional power is viewed as a means of fostering local identity in a one-size-fits-all superstate of 25 nations.
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