In view of the regional elections called in Catalonia for next 27 September, AEB and CECA* wish to comment on the risks to financial stability that any political decision that breached the current legal framework and entailed the exclusion from the European Union and the euro of a part of Spain would pose.
Catalonia’s exclusion from the euro area, as a consequence of a unilateral break with the current constitutional framework, would mean that all banking institutions with a presence in Catalonia would face serious legal uncertainty. These difficulties would force institutions to reconsider their establishment strategy, with the consequent risk of a reduction in the supply of banking services and, as a result, financial exclusion and more expensive and scarce credit.
The member institutions of AEB and CECA consider that, at all times, the constitutional order and the euro area membership of Spain as a whole must be preserved. Otherwise, the institutions’ objective would be put at serious risk, namely to protect their depositors and maintain the flow of financing to households, SMEs and the country’s productive and job-creating sectors.
AEB and CECA call on political leaders to use dialogue to promote reforms that will enable continued progress towards higher levels of well-being and social cohesion for all.
* The main institutions associated with AEB and CECA are: Caixabank, Santander, BBVA, Bankia, Sabadell and Popular.
