9:00 Conference Opening

9:15 Opening Session

Session Chair: Alberto López Basaguren. University of the Basque Country (Spain)

Claims for Secession and Federalism in Spain: rule of law and policy in a democratic system

Erin Ryan. Florida State University (USA)

Secession and Federalism in the United States of America

Robert Hazell. Constitution Unit. UCL (UK)

Scotland voted No to independence, but only just. Next time will the Scots vote Yes?

Jean Leclair. University of Montreal (Canada)

Legality, Legitimacy, Decisionism and Federalism: The reasons underlying the Supreme Court of Canada's Successful Defense of Federalism in Reference re Secession of Quebec, 1998

11:15-11:30 Coffee-break

11:30 Session Chair: Iain McLean. University of Oxford (UK)

Fiscal Federalism and Fiscal Responsibility: the case of Scotland

Elisenda Casañas-Adam. University of Edinburgh (UK): The Scottish Independence Referendum: Lessons Learned for the Future

Karl Kössler. EURAC (Bolzano) (Italy)

Secession referenda from a Constitutionalist Perspective. Functions and Requirements

13:00-13:30 Debate

13:30-15:00 Lunch time

15:00 Session Chair: Josep María Castellá Andreu. University of Barcelona (Spain)

Constitución y referéndum sobre la secesión en Cataluña / Constitution and referendum on secession in Catalonia

Ana Carmona Contreras. University of Sevilla (Spain)

El referéndum autonómico en la jurisprudencia constitucional. Apuntes críticos (O cuando el trasfondo político oscurece las razones jurídicas) / Regional Referendums in the Constitutional Jurisprudence: Critical Aspects. When the political Discourse Shadows the Legal Considerations

Joan Vintró Castells. University of Barcelona (Spain)

Referéndum y secesión en el marco constitucional español / Referendum and secession in the Spanish Constitutional Framework

16:30 Session Chair: Juan José Solozabal Echavarria. Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain)

Eliseo Aja Fernández. University of Barcelona (Spain)

Posibilidades de un sistema federal gradual y de participación / An outlook of to an incrementing step by step participating federal system

Joaquín Tornos Más. University of Barcelona (Spain)

Secesión y federalismo: el caso catalán / Secession and Federalism: the Catalan case

18:00-18:30 Debate

18:30-20:00 Oral Presentations (Parallel Sessions)

Session I. Chair: Leire Escajedo San Epifanio. University of the Basque Country (Spain)

- Julián Castro-Rea / Jessica Weller. University of Alberta (Canada)

Is Quebec secession movement dead? Perspectives after Canada's 2015 federal election

- Rémi Barrué-Belou. University of Toulouse (France)

Federative tools: a new perspective for secession

- Myśliwiec Małgorzata. University of Silesia (Poland)

Federalism in times of crisis

- Matthias Major. University of the Basque Country (Spain)

The relations between Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. A model with future to challenge secessionism?

Pietro Masala. Centro de Estudios Políticos y Constitucionales (España)

The Italian Regional State: A Counter-Reformation after the Failure of the 2001 Constitutional Reform?

            Session II. Chair: Carmelo Moreno del Río. University of the Basque Country (Spain)

Resilience State and Right of Secession. Theoretical Notes about the kindness and possibilities to regulate democratically this Right

- Adoración Galera Victoria. University of Granada (Spain)

The consultation of sovereignty and the people of Catalonia's right to decide on the political and constitutional debate in the European Union

- Francisco Manuel García Costa. University of Murcia (Spain)

Reasons and limits of the referendum as a mechanism to declare the secession of part of a State

- Francisco Javier Romero Caro. University of the Basque Country (Spain)

Provincial integration trough the Senate: a new era with Trudeau?

- Leonardo Álvarez. University of Oviedo (Spain)

Secession and federal loyalty in the Spanish Constitution of 1978

- Igor Filibi. University of the Basque Country (Spain)

Status quo-Secession in-between times: Graduating political capacity under full restoration of legitimacy?

- José Antonio Sanz Moreno. Complutensis University -Madrid- (Spain)

The myth of ontological foundations and the secession clause as federal answers to national aspirations of external self-determination

20:00 End of the afternoon's session

9:00 Session Chair: Alan Page. University of Dundee (UK)

Federalism as an alternative to secession: the United Kingdom experience

Aileen McHarg. University of Strathclyde (Glasgow) (UK)

The Future of the United Kingdom's Territorial Constitution: Can the Union Survive?

Alain-G. Gagnon. University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM) (Canada)

The Conditions of Diversity in Complex Political Settings: A Canadian Exploration

Caroline Van Wynsberghe. Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium)

The End of Belgium as we know it: from Consociative Democracy to Confederalist Blocking

11:00-11:15 Coffee-break

11:15 Session Chair: Francisco Balaguer Callejón. University of Granada (Spain)

Federalismo y calidad democrática: la aportación del pluralismo territorial a la democracia constitucional / Federalism and Democratic Quality: the Contribution of Territorial Pluralism to Constitutional Democracy

José Antonio Montilla Martos. University of Granada (Spain)

La reforma constitucional en el contexto del debate independentista / The Constitutional Amendment in the context of the debate on independence

Enric Fossas Espadaler. Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain)

¿Qué federalismo para España? / What Federalism for Spain?

12:45-13:15 Debate

13:15-15:00 Lunch time

15:00 Session Chair: Paloma Biglino Campos. University of Valladolid (Spain)

El Federalismo, garantía del pluralismo político / Federalism, guarantee of political pluralism

Xavier Arbós Marín. University of Barcelona (Spain)

Constitucionalismo y secesión / Constitutionalism and Secession

Eduardo Vírgala Foruria. University of the Basque Country (Spain)

Estado autonómico y reconocimiento del derecho de secesión / State of Autonomies and the recognition of the right to secede

16:30 Session Chair: Gregorio Cámara Villar. University of Granada (Spain)

Reforma federal en España v. secesión en Cataluña: ¿Puede la reforma constitucional dar respuesta a las demandas en las que quiere justificarse la secesión? / Federal Amendment in Spain v. Secession in Catalonia: Can the Constitutional Amendment satisfy the demands that pretend to justify Secession?

José Tudela Aranda. Fundación Giménez Abad, Zaragoza (Spain)

Legalidad ignorada, democracia secuestrada. Levantar velos para encontrar respuesta / Ignored legality, kidnapped democracy. Raising the veils to find the answer

César Colino Cámara. Open University (UNED) (Spain)

Variantes del federalismo, variantes del secesionismo y potencial de acomodación territorial: una especulación sobre el presente y el futuro del envite secesionista en España / Federalism, secessionism and territorial accommodation: speculation about the past and future of the secessionist challenge in Spain

Francisco Bastida Freijedo / Benito Aláez Corral. University of Oviedo (Spain)

Constitucionalizar la secesión en una futura España federal / Constitutionalising secession in a future Federal Spain

18:30-19:00 Debate

19:00  Conference Closure