Last week, Spain’s government announced a plan to fire the government of Catalonia and seize control of the autonomous region’s media.

The move is intended to foil an independence move that came after Catalonia voted to secede earlier this month. Catalonia’s president, Carles Puigdemont, said he will not back down. Catalonia’s resistance to Spain’s force in the region is fueling fears of more intense conflict. The European Union, which does not have a legal structure for including newly independent nations, is at a loss for what to do with Catalonia. The chief of the European Parliament, Antionio Trajani, said he believes the Catalonia independence movement sets a dangerous precedent, and as such will never be recognized. 

Mark Johnston, a professor of Spanish in DePaul University’s College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, joins Worldview to discuss this first challenge to Spain’s constitution in 40 years, the economic impact for Spain and Catalonia, and repercussions throughout the European Union.