Courtesy of Oficina De L'Expresident Pere Aragonès

On Wednesday evening, former President of Catalonia Pere Aragonès reflected on the turbulent years of Catalonia’s independence movement — almost exactly five years since the first round of negotiations between Catalonia’s Generalitat and the Spanish government took place.

His remarks followed an introduction by professor Phil Kaplan ’12 LAW ’20, who explained that the Jackson School of Global Affairs’ Blue Center for Global Strategic Assessment decided to host the event as the “conversation offers us an opportunity to reflect on the lessons learned from that conflict.”

“This was not an isolated event in the history of Catalonia, and nor is it a finished story,” said Aragonès. “We’ve been negotiating for five years, [and] we experienced the beginning of the negotiations, but there is still a long way to go to resolve the conflict.”

Yale’s decision to invite Aragonès had sparked controversy earlier in the week, particularly after the Jackson School publicly highlighted his role in the “de-escalation” of conflicts and the “restoration of stability” on its official X — formerly Twitter — account in a post that has garnered over 603k views. This endorsement reignited tensions among pro-independence hardliners.

For example, on X, Aleix Sarri, a senior figure in Junts and the party’s coordinator of international policy, echoed the sentiment, calling it “simply surreal” that Aragonès’ approach — seen by some as a capitulation — would be used as “material for giving lessons at an American university.”

Before Aragonès’ remarks, Yale professor Maria Hierro, who moderated the conversation, framed it within Spain’s broader political history, stating that the events “led to probably the most serious constitutional crisis or institutional crisis in Spain,” which resulted in the suspension of self-government after nearly 40 years of autonomy in Catalonia.

“The referendum resulted in a majority vote in favor of independence,” Hierro said. “However, after weeks of uncertainty, failed negotiations and failed attempts to de-escalate the conflict, the Catalan Parliament voted to declare the independence of Catalonia, while at the same time, the Spanish Senate approved the Spanish government takeover of the Catalan government and called for early elections.”

Hierro noted that two years later, in October 2019, the Spanish Supreme Court unanimously

sentenced nine pro-independence politicians and civil society leaders to prison terms ranging

from nine to 13 years for sedition, resulting in “serious consequences” for not only institutional relations between the governments but also for social cohesion and creating a highly polarized political climate.

Aragonès attributed much of the crisis to Madrid’s refusal to negotiate, stating that “the rejection by the Spanish government to enter in a dialogue” was a constraint to managing the situation properly. 

“It’s very difficult in a process where there exists an accumulation of grievances, to say to your people, okay, let’s come, let’s start a negotiation, if the other party rejects the negotiation,” said Aragonès, who believes that the Spanish government underestimated both the ability of the pro-independence movement to mobilize people and how determined the movement was, resulting in the rejection of dialogue escalating into conflict.

Aragonès also acknowledged the difficulties, stating that “expectations were high” and that for “the first time” there was alignment between political leaders and grassroots activists, resulting in a challenge to manage that momentum when the Spanish government refused to partake in negotiations.

The conversation then pivoted to Aragonès tenure as the youngest modern president of the Generalitat, and whether the former president’s generational background influenced his views and aspirations for the relationship between Catalonia and Spain.

Aragonès, who has supported grass-roots independence since his teenage years, stated that “repression must end” and that while autonomy may have been the goal for an older generation, for him, “Catalonia becoming an independent state is the ultimate goal of my political commitment, it’s not my second best.”

Aragonès then outlined the negotiation process that led to key political shifts between Catalonia and the Spanish government, emphasizing the importance of recognizing the political conflict at the heart of the debate.

“At that time, the Socialist Party, the Spanish government, the Spanish institution said, ‘no, no, there is no political conflict,’” Aragonès said, stressing that gaining acknowledgment of the conflict was a fundamental step in negotiations. 

Aragonès also underscored the legitimacy of both sides in proposing solutions, including Catalonia’s push for independence, even as the Spanish government rejected it. 

“This conflict must be addressed through a negotiation to achieve a democratic solution,” he said, adding that any agreement should ultimately be approved by Catalan citizens through a vote. “You cannot think that you are going to achieve all your goals from night to day.”

Aragonès then framed the progress made — including the 2021 release of political prisoners, the abolition of sedition laws, and the 2024 approval of an amnesty law — as incremental victories in a long-term process. 

“It has been a path, not with only one step, [but] with several steps,” he noted, emphasizing the patience and pragmatism needed in political negotiations.

Near the end of his speech, Aragonès responded to a question from professor Hierro about the nature of amnesty laws, describing them as a formal acknowledgment that “the political and legal repression against the independence movement in Catalonia was not a correct, proper response from the state.” 

He framed the legislation as a crucial step toward reconciliation, arguing that “to restore social cohesion, this repression has to finish.”

The law, which grants amnesty to individuals prosecuted for their roles in Catalonia’s independence movement, has been a contentious issue in Spanish politics, with supporters seeing it as a necessary step toward political stability and opponents decrying it as a concession to separatists.

Upon the conclusion of the talk, Chatham-house rules were enacted to protect the anonymity of audience members who posed questions to Aragonès.

Aragonès was the 132nd President of the Government of Catalonia.