Abstract

GARCIA MORALES, María Jesús. The future of the State of autonomies in Spain: blockage or reformulation?. Bol. Mex. Der. Comp. [online]. 2021, vol.54, n.160, pp.155-190.  Epub Mar 07, 2022. ISSN 2448-4873.  https://doi.org/10.22201/iij.24484873e.2021.160.15973.

The State of autonomies was the great invention of the Spanish Constitution of 1978. Spain ceased to be a centralist state and opted for a high degree of decentralization. The State of Autonomies has consolidated over the past four decades, but it must also resolve two different crises: the crisis of the territorial model after 40 years in existence and the crisis in Catalonia. Among potential scenarios, the reformulation of the State of Autonomies is the most reasonable solution. It is necessary to identify the specific problems of Spanish territorial organization and explore how other systems, especially federal ones, can help to resolve them. However, a constitutional reform in a federal sense is virtually impossible. The responsibility for reforming the territorial model rests with political parties, and the differences among them about what changes should be implemented are irremediable. Consensus needs to be reached again, as occurred in Spain in 1978. If nothing changes, problems will persist.

Keywords : State of autonomies; federalism; decentralisation; secession; asymmetry.