Brussels, 11/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - An international study, to which 21 universities worldwide contributed, considers it possible and even likely that new states will emerge in Europe. It puts forward the hypothesis of a “fourth wave of independence” in coming years. The study, entitled “Enlarging democracy in Europe. New statehoods and processes of sovereignty”, was presented to the European Parliament on Tuesday 11 January, at the initiative of Catalan MEP Oriol Junqueras (Greens/EFA, Spain). Among the new states that could emerge from the secession process, the study cites Quebec in Canada and, in the EU, among others, Scotland, Flanders, the Basque Country and Catalonia. According to the academic scholars Alfred Bosch and Jaume Lopez, there are social elements and historical events which link these regions that could become the new states (they all had their own institutions in the past, their own language, etc). (Com-Gp/transl.jl)