Abstract

The Scottish Independence Referendum of September 2014 and the symbolic Catalan consultation have focused attention on the issue of European independentism. Long forgotten due to the European integration process, local independentism explodes once more fueled by the economic crunch. This short article examines four European nationalisms that share some similarities: the Basque Countries and Northern Ireland share a tragic violent background, while Catalan and Scottish nationalisms have always aimed at peaceful and democratic solutions of controversies.