Entities want independence on line of Kurdistan, Catalonia

CAIRO – 21 October 2017: After the announcement of the Kurdistan and Catalonia independence referendums, many entities in Europe, which have been seeking separatism and independence for many years, have emerged, such as Corsica in France, Scotland, the Flemish region in Belgium, Faroe Islands in Denmark, and Basque Country in Spain and New Caledonia in France.

The Kurdish referendum is a crisis in Iraq’s history. The Kurds are a nation without a state of between 25 and 35 million people. They are mainly distributed in four countries: Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria.

On other hand, Catalonia is engaged in an unprecedented conflict with the Spanish government for independence. On October 1, 2017, the referendum was organized, which the Spanish authorities refused to recognize.

Corsica in France

Corsica is the only Mediterranean island in France from outside the Overseas Territories, which has a special status granted by more authorities. After decades of more than 4,500 attacks by the National Liberation Front in Corsica, the secret armed organization announced in June 2014 the abandonment of arms for strengthening the political process.

In 2015, Corsica elected three deputies from the Alliance of Independents, who are demanding more autonomy in the French parliament, but Paris did not agree.

Flemish region in Belgium

The Flemish region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium. After establishment in 1980, the region transferred all its constitutional competencies to the Flemish Community.

Since legislative elections in 2014, the new Flemish alliance has become the most powerful as the region seeks a march towards self-independence in 2019.

Faroe Islands in Denmark

Faroe Islands are between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic and sometimes called the Faeroe Islands.In 1946, Denmark rejected an independence vote by the Faroe Islands.

The islands then turfed out their separatists and are still part of Denmark till now, according to SPH website.

Scotland

In 2014, Scotland held its first independence referendum, in which voters rejected their country's independence by about 55 percent, while 45 percent of voters supported it, according to BBC news.

In October 2017, the Scottish National Party (NDP) has urged Prime Minister Nikola Stirgen to postpone a second referendum on Scotland's independence until the beginning of 2020, focusing instead on Britain's exit from the European Union and the country's internal politics, the Guardian reported.

Basque Country

Basque Country has its own local institutions, which are responsible for the collection of basic taxes. The country also enjoys a high degree of autonomy, which allows them to govern directly in many areas, such as finance, tax collection, industry, economy and research.

The reason for the independence is that the central government in Madrid levies taxes from various regions in Spain and distributes them to other Spanish regions except the Basque Country.

The Basque Separatist Group (ETA) has killed more than 800 people over the past 50 years to reach its target to independence from Madrid. In 2011, ETA pledged to renounce violence.

New Caledonia

New Caledonia is a French province in the heart of the South Pacific. The referendum expected to be announced in the fall of 2018 by the 20th anniversary of the Noumea Accord, which includes a gradual decolonization process.

The rule of Caledonia is by a regional council composed of 54 members and a legislative body composed of three regional councils. This region represents two deputies before the French Parliament

In 2012, New Caledonia voters voted for independence during the French presidential elections, with 61.19 percent.