Highlights

Catalonia’s Supreme Court said that Altafaj, head of the Catalan Government Delegation in Brussels, cannot use the title of Permanent Representative to the European Union. The judicial decision came after a complaint by the Spanish Government, which considers that such a title can only be used by member state diplomats. “There is nothing against the Catalan Government having a representative to the European Union or my current role”, said Altafaj. The Catalan diplomat in Brussels described the case against his title as “absurd”. “I am representing the Catalan Government to the EU with more determination than ever”, he said.

The former Catalan Minister and Catalan Democratic Party (PDC) spokesman in the Spanish Parliament, Francesc Homs, testified on Monday before the Spanish Supreme Court. The politician is being investigated for co-organising the 9-N symbolic vote on independence in 2014. During his testimony the former Mminister stated that the consultation was “legal” because it “corresponded to the Catalan Parliament mandate”. Moreover, Homs claimed that the main Spanish institutions are not acting with autonomy but are rather “copycatting People’s Party interests”. “The sentence has been already been dictated” and “it is going to be condemnatory and not absolving”, said Homs with regret.

The former Catalan Minister and Catalan Democratic Party (PDC) spokesperson in the Spanish Parliament, Francesc Homs, is testifying this Monday in the Supreme Court for co-organising the 9th of November 2014 informal consultation on independence. The politician arrived at the Court accompanied by former Catalan President, Artur Mas, who, together with other Catalan Ministers, is also facing trial on charges of disobedience and perversion of justice. Homs has been summonsed “for listening to people’s demands and putting out ballot boxes” for the 9-N symbolic vote, the Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, said with regret.

The Spanish Government won’t file a criminal complaint against the Catalan Parliament’s President, Carme Forcadell, at least until Spain’s Constitutional Court decides on her suspension from office. After a reform passed by the People’s Party (PP) in 2015, the Court has the competency to dismiss public representatives and impose fines on them if they disobey a resolution. The Spanish Government filed a complaint against Forcadell over the declaration adopted by the Catalan Parliament last July that introduced a “democratic unilateral mechanism” to split from Spain. The Spanish Deputy Prime Minister, Soraya Sáenz de Santa María, stated this Friday that this is the “main procedure” for now.

The Catalan Minister for Planning and Sustainability, Josep Rull, has pointed to Spain’s lack of investment in the Mediterranean Corridor as the main cause for the collapse of TP Ferro, the concessionaire for the new high-speed (HS) railway between Spain and France. The number of trains circulating on the railway in 2015 was lower than expected. The estimations were 19,000 trains per year, but in fact only 800 trains used the infrastructure. “This is the result of the delay in the planned investments”, Rull said and regretted the "lack of interest" from the Spanish Government in a piece of infrastructure of "vital" importance for Catalonia.

Catalonia’s Supreme Court (TSJC) has dismissed this Thursday the appeals filed by former Catalan President Artur Mas, former Vice-President Joana Ortega and former Catalan Minister of Education Irene Rigau against their prosecution for alleged crimes of disobedience and administrative prevarication when organising the 9-N symbolic vote on independence. The Court magistrates believe that it is necessary to go on with the prosecution of the defendants for having authorised and co-organised the consultation, which took place on 9 November 2014. In its resolution, the TSJC insists on the “conscious resistance” of the three politicians to the Spanish Constitutional Court’s suspension of the participatory process. The resolution arrives three days before former Catalan Minister for Presidency, Francesc Homs, is due to testify in Madrid for the same cause.

Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, stated this Thursday that he “will do the same” as the previous Government did regarding the 9-N symbolic vote on independence, which took place in 2014. “If the Government has to make decisions in a comparable situation, we will do exactly the same and assume responsibility before those who believe that the Rule of Law is not reinforced by participation but through the Court”, he said. Puigdemont made this statement, joined by Catalan Vice President, Oriol Junqueras, after meeting with former Catalan Minister and Catalan Democratic Party (PDC) spokesman in the Spanish Parliament, Francesc Homs, who is due to testify before the Supreme Court for co-organising the 9-N symbolic vote on independence.

The Catalan Secretary of Universities and Research, Arcadi Navarro, and the President of the European Association for International Education (EAIE), Laura Howard, have a meeting next Friday September the 16^th to discuss the candidacy of Barcelona as the venue for EAIE 2020. This annual event is the largest higher education conference in Europe and its 28^th edition is currently taking place in Liverpool. Indeed, the meeting is going to be held within the framework of EAIE 2016. A Catalan delegation has set up a pavilion at the fair to improve the visibility of the Catalan higher education offer, from primary degrees to Master’s degrees and doctorates. 

From digital health, to the Internet of Things (IoT), Artifical Intelligence (AI), virtual reality, AgTech and EdTech. These are the fields of the 15 Barcelona start-ups representing Catalonia at the Disrupt SF 2016 entrepreneurial event, taking place this week in San Francisco. The 15 Catalan firms have been selected from a total of 128 applicants. Catalonia Trade & Investment, Catalonia’s agency for economic promotion, together with the technology media Tech Crunch, were responsible for the decision and have organised the trade mission to California. The 15 companies will also be able to pitch their projects in front of 50 investors and US companies at a meeting on the 15^th of September at Samsung’s Silicon Valley facilities. 

Former Catalan Minister and Catalan Democratic Party (PDC) spokesman in the Spanish Parliament, Francesc Homs, will have to testify before the Supreme Court for co-organising the 9-N symbolic vote on independence in 2014. Before that, however, he will receive the institutional support of the Catalan Government, the board of the PDC and that of several pro-independence associations. On Monday, when Homs is due to appear before the Court in Madrid, he will be joined by former Catalan President, Artur Mas, who was also summonsed for organising the 9-N, Catalan Government Spokeswoman, Neus Munté, Catalan Minister for Culture, Santi Vila and Catalan Minister for Public Administration Meritxell Borràs.

Messi, Neymar and Suárez trio shone in their first match side by side in 115 days, helping FC Barcelona to their biggest ever Champions League win, a 7-0 victory over Celtic at the Camp Nou. It took just three minutes for Messi to get things going after he was played through by Neymar. It was a sign of things to come as the Argentine would go on to score his first hat-trick of the campaign, his sixth ever in the Champions League, a feat which makes him the player with the most hat-tricks in the history of the competition. “We practically didn’t commit any mistakes,” Luis Enrique beamed from the podium in the Ricard Maxenchs press room at Camp Nou following Barça’s opening round knockout. “The players had fun, and that allowed the Barça supporters to have fun,” he said.

The first fatal victim of enterovirus has been confirmed this Tuesday in Catalonia. The victim was a baby who had been admitted to Parc Taulí Hospital in Sabadell, suffering from flu and vomiting followed by somnolence and flaccidity, on the 31^st of July and who died on Monday, Catalonia’s Health Department confirmed. “This is the first case in which we have been able to identify the virus, which was A-71”, CatSalut director, Josep Maria Argimon, explained. 110 enterovirus-related cases have been found in Catalonia since April and another baby is currently in the hospital as well. During a press conference this Tuesday, the head of paediatrics at Barcelona Vall d’Hebron Hospital, Carlos Rodrigo, pointed to the fact that only between 3% and 5% of enterovirus cases end up being fatal.

The green and white hoops of Celtic have been a familiar sight at the Camp Nou in recent years, and the 47-times Scottish champions are back for the opening game of the Champions League 2016/17. The Celts are here for the third time in just five years and they’re up against a Catalan side that will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing home defeat to Alavés at the weekend. In Europe, remember, Barça are chasing a twelfth consecutive win at the Camp Nou. Speaking on Monday, Barça manager Luis Enrique said that “it’s useful to have faced Celtic in the preseason. They can be difficult to play against and did well to get through their qualifying rounds.” Messi, Suárez and Neymar will be outfield, same as Ter Stegen who has been included in the squad.

Criteria Caixa, the industrial holding of ‘La Caixa’, and the oil company Repsol will sell 10% each of their share capital of Barcelona-based Gas Natural Fenosa to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) for a total of €3.802 billion. The agreement, signed this Monday, will allow Criteria to remain as the main shareholder of the gas company with a share of 24.4%. The president of Criteria and the ‘La Caixa’ bank foundation,the section of the biggest bank in Catalonia dedicated to social and cultural initiatives, Isidre Fainé, will be the new Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gas Natural Fenosa. Fainé was "satisfied" with the incorporation of GIP. “It is a valuable reinforcement to deal with the challenges that faces the hundred-year-old company”, he stated.

The Catalan National Assembly (ANC), Òmnium Cultural, the Platform Pro Catalan Sports Selections and the group of jurists ‘Drets’ (‘Rights’) will distribute 30,000 Catalan pro-independence flags at the Champions League match between FC Barcelona and Celtic FC taking place this Tuesday at Camp Nou. The initiative comes after UEFA’s €30,000 fine of FC Barcelona for the displaying of these flags during the Champions League final in Berlin last year. According to the Union of European Football Associations, the fine was issued because it officially condemns in Article 16.2 of its Disciplinary Regulations "the use of gestures, words, objects or any other means to transmit any message that is not fit for a sports event, particularly messages that are of a political, ideological, religious, offensive or provocative nature".