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The European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, Michel Barnier, repeated on Wednesday the answer given by Romano Prodi on a question about Algeria and its hypothetical EU membership on the basis of its French past: “if a region separates itself from a Member State, it quits de facto the European Union”. Barnier emphasised that this is a “general” opinion. However, he added that the European Commission will only issue its definitive opinion about an independent Catalonia on the basis of “a precise scenario” and refuses to “speculate” about the Catalan case. Besides, the President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, affirmed that questioning Catalonia’s “economic integration within the EU” follows “controversies stirred up by interested parties”.

The Spanish Constitutional Court has decided not to exclude its President, Francisco Pérez de los Cobos, from cases directly affecting Catalonia’s self-government institutions despite his anti-Catalan statements and being a member of the People’s Party (PP) until 2011. Among many statements, in 2005 he made one of the most controversial ones when he said that “Catalans are educated to hate Spanish culture”. The Catalan Government asked him at least to apologise publicly for those words, made at a public event, and to take them back. Furthermore, all the Catalan parties except the Spanish nationalist ones rejected the Court’s decision since the institution loses even more credibility. The anti-Catalan nationalist party Ciutadans (C’s) warns that keeping Pérez de los Cobos in position will allow Catalan independence supporters to take legitimacy away from the Court.

The Catalan Presidency Minister, Francesc Homs, answered the statement made by the Spanish Vice President of the European Commission, Joaquín Almunía, which was later backed by the Spokesperson of the international institution. Homs insisted that there is no automatic mechanism in the EU treaties to kick out a separated part of a Member State, although neither are there automatic mechanisms to ensure it remains within the EU. The Catalan Government’s Spokesperson stated that everything depends on the political will and negotiations. In fact, he hoped to hold such talks at Spanish level but also including the EU institutions, “because too many interests are at stake”. He added that the most pressing question is whether the Catalan people can hold a self-determination referendum, and that the EU debate is used as a distraction.

The Spokesperson for FC Barcelona’s Board of Directors, Toni Freixa, emphasised that there will be a predicted surplus of 36 million euros after taxes for this season. Freixa explained that the additional income had come from sponsorship deals, as well as the transfer of Thiago Alcántara to Bayern Munich. That’s the first time in FC Barcelona history that the budget has been over 500 million, while operating income for last season was 491 million euros, €21 million more than originally budgeted.

In two exclusive interviews with the Catalan News Agency, the Prime Ministers of Latvia and Lithuania answered questions on Catalonia’s independence and self-determination process. The statements were badly received by the Spanish Government. The Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister summoned the Latvian and Lithuanian ambassadors in Madrid and met with them on Monday morning. Despite the video showing how the Lithuanian PM literally stated “each country has to find its own way” and “has the right to self-determination” referring to Catalonia, the country’s Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a note stating that the press had offered a “biased and wrong interpretation”. Additionally, Latvia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry also issued a note saying the interpretation was “biased”. However, at the same time, a Spokesperson of the Latvian PM stated he had nothing “to take back” from the interview, in which he was asked about recognising an independent Catalonia and stated “if there is legitimacy in their process, then I would say, theoretically, 'why not?'”.

Last October, the Vice President of the European Commission, Joaquin Almunia, emphasised “it would be dishonest [...] to give a strict answer” as to whether a separated part of a Member State would still be part of the EU. Back then, Almunia insisted that “the question is not a black and white one” and “it has many nuances”. However, this Monday he stated that the “separated part of a Member State would no longer be part of the European Union”. A few hours later, the European Commission’s Spokesperson, Pia Ahrenkilde, backed Almunia’s statements. The issue comes after last week’s 400-kilometre-long human chain supporting Catalonia’s independence from Spain, which was formed by 1.6 million citizens, and Madrid’s diplomatic offensive, including the controversy with Latvia and Lithuania.

An injury time winner from Alexis streched Barça's winning run in the league to 12 games and kept them top of the table. Alves and Messi put Barça ahead, before Seville pulled it back in the last 15 minutes. Neymar put in his best performance in a Barça shirt so far, constantly taunting the Seville defence and setting up Messi's goal. Gerardo Martino gave Cristian Tello his first start of the season, partnering Messi and Neymar in attack, whilst  Xavi returned to midfield alongside Iniesta and Sergio, who had recovered from the injury that kept him out of the international games.

Barça are looking to make it 12 points out of 12 in the Spanish League against Sevilla at the Camp Nou (0 pm CET) after the international two-week break. Sergio Busquets has been declared fit and Xavi and Alexis return, but Pedro is being rested, after a fortnight in which eleven of the first team have been away on international duty. However none of them have come back with injuries and there are high hopes for the league leaders against a Sevilla team that so far only have two points in their account.

In an exclusive interview with the CNA about Catalonia, the Prime Minister of Lithuania, Algirdas Butkevicius, states that each country “has to find its own way” and “has the right to self-determination”. Lithuania is holding the European Union Presidency from July to December. The CNA interviewed the Lithuanian Premier on the occasion of the 400-kilometre human chain ‘Catalan Way towards independence’, which was inspired by the ‘Baltic Way’ of 1989 requesting the independence of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia from the USSR. The ‘Baltic Way’ united in an uninterrupted and peaceful human chain Tallin, Riga and Vilnius; two years later the 3 Baltic states became independent. Butkevicius said he was “very happy that the Lithuanian example inspired” the Catalan human chain.

In an exclusive interview with the CNA, the Prime Minister of Latvia, Valdis Dombrovskis, was asked if his country would recognise an independent Catalonia. Dombrovskis answered: “if there is legitimacy in their process, then I would say, theoretically, 'why not?'”, opening the door to  recognition. The statement has been badly received in Madrid and the Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister, José Manuel García Margallo, requested an urgent meeting with Latvia’s Ambassador in Madrid in order to clarify the issue. The Spanish Deputy Minister for the European Union, Iñigo Méndez de Vigo, will also be present at the meeting.

An investigation in the Pyrenees in the areas of Lleida (western Catalonia) and Huesca (northern Aragon) may have found the footprints of the last dinosaurs that inhabited Europe. The footprints are said to come from the Hadrosaurid family of dinosaurs and roughly be 65.5 million years old. The amount of fossils and footprints of dinosaurs that exist from the era just before their extinction - 65 million years ago - is scarce and limited to just a few places worldwide. Now one of those placed is in the Pyrenees.

Barcelona-based publisher RBA has announced that Icelandic author Arnaldur Indridason (Reykjavik, 1961) has won the seventh edition of the Crime Novel RBA Prize for his forthcoming book ‘Shadow Channel’ (‘Skuggasund’ in Icelandic). The novel begins with the mysterious murder of an old man in the Icelandic capital, and then goes back in time to a series of crimes committed in 1944. Indridason is one of the most prominent authors of crime fiction and has already published six works with the RBA. His novels have been translated into 21 languages and the majority involve the protagonist Detective Erlendur Sveinsson. The prize for the winner of the award is €125,000.

In an exclusive interview with the CNA, the Prime Minister of Latvia, Valdis Dombrovskis, stated that the ‘Catalan Way towards independence’ human chain is a “powerful signal” that is “worth paying attention to”. When asked if Riga would recognise an independent Catalonia, Dombrovskis stated that “if there is legitimacy in their process, then I would say, theoretically, why not”. He highlighted how “we should look at options” on how to deal with the independence demands that exist in Catalonia following a 1.6 million people human chain that took place on Wednesday. However, he also warned that if Catalans decided upon a unilateral declaration of independence, it would be “more complicated”, although he does not rule out the possibility of gathering international recognition.

Barcelona-based Gas Natural Fenosa (GNF) has signed a contract with the South Korean company Kogas to supply between 1 and 1.5 bcm for the next two years. This is the first deal that Catalan GNF has signed with Kogas, the largest gas operator in South Korea and the biggest importer of LNG in the world. Furthermore, in recent months, GNF has signed contracts with companies in both Japan and India, contributing to its increase in the Asian market, which has a high growth potential in the coming years.  International sales now represent 30% of the total portfolio of the Catalan energy company.

The day after Catalonia’s National Day and the 1.6 million strong human chain supporting independence from Spain, Catalan parties reacted to the massive demonstration. The President of the Catalan Government and leader of the governing Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Coalition (CiU), Artur Mas, re-affirmed yesterday his “commitment” to organising a referendum on self-determination for 2014. The Left-Wing Catalan Independence Party (ERC) declared its intention to work with other parties and civil society organisations on having the question and exact date for the vote ready within the next two months in order to call it in 2014. The Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) asked the other parties to put forward their projects for the day after the referendum.