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New borders and old feelings
How many countries could Europe have in ten years?
From the Democratic Party of the Atlantic, claiming independence for the Azores archipelago, to the self-proclaimed state of Transnistria in Moldova, the list of separatist movements in Europe is endless. Are european political contours about to change?
There are nearly 60 movements or political parties in Europe that with differing levels of reason, are lobbying for greater autonomy or complete independence.
While the majority have little support, some stronger political parties has been able to create a common front. In the past, successful state-building processes were related to major turmoil in the continent. This time the framework could be the economic crisis.
Scotland is under scrutiny. Hadrian’ s Wall could well become a border in 2014, possibly defining the EU limits. It is the only country in waiting to have agreed on a referendum with the central government. Yet the economic crisis may have hampered the independence push. Many Scots oppose independence, mainly because they think it is safer to stay in the UK.
Catalonia in Spain has no independence vote scheduled yet, but its leaders have threatened to do so if they win the next regional elections. This was stated in a January resolution.
A victory of separatists in Catalonia could trigger a general‘ Balkanisation’ of Spain, where autonomist or separatist movements are also active in Galicia, the Basque Country, Andalusia and Asturias.
In Galicia, the spin-off of ANOVA from the original nationalist party BNG( Galician Nationalist Block) has slowed down the electoral progress of separatists, which had reached almost 30 per cent in regional elections. The political battle continues, and it may draw on the Catalan vote to garner support.
Meanwhile, the New Flemish Alliance in Belgium is demanding the autonomy of Flanders from the French-speaking Wallon region. Nearly 20 per cent of the popular vote supports the cause.
Günther Dauwen, Director of the European Free Alliance, a party which includes 40 movements across Europe, thinks“ many people simply do not feel as world citizens, they feel Flemish, or Welsh, or Corsican. From that perspective we should be working for a stronger Europe.”
If this movement or any of the others were to succeed, the borders of Europe could be drastically redrawn, as new nations are born.
// Antonio Peciccia
VANISHING NATION
Ukraine’ s population crisis
The Ukrainian population is slowly disappearing. Over the last 20 years, Ukraine has lost 6.1 million people, almost 12 per cent of its population.
According to a study by Euromonitor International, a London based intelligence and research firm, the global population rose by more than 1.5 billion in the same period- a 22 per cent increase.
The report estimates that“ Ukraine will experience the single largest absolute population loss in Europe between 2011 and 2020”.
The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs issued a report stating that by 2050, the Ukrainian population is expected to drop to 26 million, a 33 per cent decrease since 2007.
“ The Ukrainian government publishes statistics every third month. So you will regularly see news about how many thousands of people we’ ve lost since the last count,” says Aliona Melnyk, a local journalist.
Ukraine has recently seen a slight improvement in its fertility rate- the average number of children born to a woman in her life time. Unfortunately, the 2012 figure of 1.5 children per woman is still well below the replacement level of 2.2.
The country is also home to the highest death rate in Europe. Epidemic alcoholism and widespread HIV also contribute to the problem.
// Jakob Jessen
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