Highlights

The Parliament's Bureau rejected on Tuesday the appeals made by Catalan Socialist Party PSC and Anti-Catalan nationalism Ciutadans, which urged reconsideration of the approval of the agreed pro-independence proposal. The Parliament's President, Carme Forcadell, announced that the agreed declaration on starting the independence process will be voted on next week. Forcadell also responded to those who criticised her decision to convene the Spokesperson Bureau before the Catalonia People's Party (PPC) had constituted themselves as a parliamentary group. She emphasised that Parliament hasn't done anything illegal and convened the Spokesperson Bureau for next Friday. The aim is to putt to vote the proposal presented by pro-independence forces 'Junts Pel Sí' and CUP and approve it before the new Catalan President is instated. 

The number of unemployed in Catalonia rose by 10,341 people in October and has now accumulated three months of increases. This figure represents a 2.02% increase compared to the previous month and the total is now 523,528 unemployed people in Catalonia, of whom only 54.2% were receiving some kind of benefit at the end of last month, according to the Spanish Ministry of Employment and Social Security. All the sectors, except for construction, have experienced a rise in the number of unemployed. The sector which saw the largest increase in the number of unemployed was services, with an increase of 8,891 people, the highest increase in this sector since October 2014. This trend is mainly due to the termination of many seasonal contracts. In the whole of Spain, unemployment increased by 82,327 people and totalled 4,176,369. Unemployment usually rises in October, as it represents the end of many seasonal contracts. This year's increase in the unemployment rate is the lightest registered since 2010. 

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has started his round of meetings with Spanish socialist party PSOE, Anti-Catalan nationalism ‘Ciutadans’, alternative left ‘Podemos’ and Spanish left IU, the main political forces running in the 20-D Spanish elections. The aim of these meetings was to set a common programme to deal with Catalonia’s push for independence, which is outstanding as the centre of the electoral campaign. “I take responsibility for leading the answer to this defiance”stated Rajoy and added that the Spanish State “has by far enough mechanisms to successfully face this situation”. Rajoy assured that during these meetings with the other political parties he asked his interlocutors to “trust”these mechanisms and avoid “unproductive debates”on such matters, referring to the possible application of article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, suggested by Ciutadans’leader Albert Rivera, which would imply the suspension of Catalonia’s autonomy. 

Many MEPs and different entities urged the European Parliament to withdraw the European Citizen 2014 award from 'Societat Civil Catalana', a Spanish unity association which has been repeatedly linked with extreme right organisations. Recent investigations also connected SCC's president, Josep Ramon Bosch, with Francoist Fascism and Nazism and Bosch himself has been called to Court accused of threatening pro-independence Catalan figures via a fake Facebook profile. The associations, organisations and public figures signing the 'Manifesto: Catalan civil society, for dignity' accuse SCC of "appropriating themselves of the common term ['Societat Civil Catalana'] which refers to the host of civic, cultural and social entities in Catalonia characterised not only by their diversity but also by their defence of democratic principles, Catalan culture and society as a whole".

The European Parliament's President, Martin Schulz "shares" the Catalan MEPs’ concerns "about the accuracy of the answers to written questions". Schulz was referring to the two different versions, one in Spanish and one in English, of the answer sent by the Commission to PP MEP Santiago Fisas on Catalonia's unilateral declaration of independence. "I can assure you that I take this issue very seriously" he stated in a letter sent to the Catalan MEPs on Friday. Schulz assured that he is "fully aware of the sensitivity of this particular issue, especially in the period before the regional elections in Catalonia on 27 September". The Euro Parliament President also assured that the "Parliament's services asked the Commission's competent services to clarify the situation as a matter of urgency" and added that he welcomes the decision to investigate the scandal. "I look forward to being informed of its conclusions" he concluded. 

The winning pro-independence cross-party list 'Junts Pel Sí''s formula won't be repeated in the 20^th of December Spanish elections. Liberal CDC and left-wing ERC, the two main political forces responsible for 'Junts Pel Sí', consider the referendum already celebrated in the 27-S elections and bid to enhance the pro-independence base by running in the Spanish elections separately. ERC's general secretary, Marta Rovira, and CDC general coordinator, Josep Rull, aim to fill the space left by radical left CUP, their main partner in the Catalan government, who won't run in the Spanish elections. Rovira and Rull promised to work together in order to make the 27-S democratic mandate effective. To prove this, they announced the writing of a common manifesto which will support the Catalan government's roadmap towards independence. 

More than 7,000 catalans living abroad couldn’t exercise their democratic right to vote in the past 27-S elections. Catalan Minister for Public Administration, Mertixell Borràs accused Electoral Roll Office of “violating fundamental rights” by denying the government’s petition to extend the postal vote for those Catalans living abroad but contradictorily accepting to do so for soldiers and Catalans living in other parts of Spain.. “We warned that we won’t stand on the side lines and we haven’t” stated Borràs and announced that the Catalan Government presented an appeal to the Supreme Court to “assume responsabilities”. “It is clear that irregularities did happen in the months and weeks before the 27-S” and “someone must be held accountable, whether it is someone in the Postal Service, the Foreign Ministry, or the Electoral Roll office” she stated. “We have to make sure that this won’t happen again and that such an absurd situation won’t  go unpunished”. 

FC Barcelona have some work to do in the second leg of their Copa del Rey round of 32 tie with Villanovense after the plucky third tier side managed to hold them to a surprise 0-0 draw on Wednesday night. Luis Enrique opted for a very different starting line-up to the Barça team we are used to, with Douglas at right back and Masip in goal getting their first starts of the season. The promising young Cameroonian Wilfrid Kaptoum made his first team debut in midfield in partnership with Gumbau and Samper, while Adriano was fielded in an unfamiliar attacking role alongside Sandro Ramírez and Munir. The Catalans never quite managed to settle, and rather than sit back and defend, the home side had clearly come out to play ball too. As the half progressed, Villanovense grew in confidence and the crowd in the Romero Cuerda were loving every moment of it. There was a lot more urgency to Barça’s style after the break, but despite dominating a massive 75% of the possession, there was nothing in the way of clear-cut chances until Sandro fired a screaming shot from the edge of the area that only just failed to find the target.

Catalonia received more than 190 million euros from the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme, the most important initiative in the EU in terms of innovation and R&D. In the past year and a half, Catalan innovative companies and research projects received 2.6% of the total that the EC has given out so far, representing a higher figure  proportional to Catalonia’s population weight within Europe (1.5%).“Catalonia’s R&D system is one of the most productive and successful in Europe”stated general director of Recerca, Josep Maria Martorell, head of the entity which executes and promotes research and innovation initiatives in Catalonia. “During the first year of Horizon 2020, Catalonia has multiplied by 3.5 what was raised in the first year of the previous European funding programme, the FP7”he added. Most of the 142 companies which received Horizon 2020 funds were SMEs and this allowed them carry out feasibility analysis and be able to fund their R&D activities, so that their projects could be launched. The Horizon 2020 programme, launched last year, has an 80 billion euros budget until 2020.

The Parliament Bureau has temporarily suspended the declaration that pro-independence forces ‘Junts Pel Sí’and CUP handed over on Tuesday to start the “disconnection process”from Spain. The decision comes in response to the request of two other groups represented in the Catalan Parliament, the second most voted list in the 27-S elections, anti-Catalan nationalism Ciutadans and the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC). The Catalan People’s Party (PPC) also supported the petition but didn’t present any formal request to stop the pro-independence forces’declaration, as they haven’t constituted themselves as a parliamentary group yet. In fact, it is necessary that all the forces in the Chamber are constituted as parliamentary groups, otherwise the Parliament’s Bureau won’t be able to listen to all the spokespersons and make a definitive decision on how to proceed with the declaration.

Barça begin the defence of the Copa del Rey title won last season with a visit to Second Division B side Villanovense in the first leg of their last 32 tie. The club from the town of Villanueva de la Serena face the biggest day in their 23 year history and have increased the capacity of their Romero Cuerda Stadium from 3,000 to 11,000 especially for the visit of the blaugranes for the game which kicks off this Wednesday at 8.30pm CET. The blaugrana coach named his squad after the session and although there were some notable absentees from the 16 man list,  Luis Enrique revealed that he would have liked to have selected more B team players in the squad. "We are limited in the number of Barça B players that we can use. I would like more players to rest, but that's what the rule is and it has to be followed.” he stated. Barça have won their last nine matches in the Copa del Rey, culminating in the victory over Athletic Bilbao last season in the final at Camp Nou.

Spanish police entered this morning the house of the President of the Catalan Government between 1980 and 2003 and founder of the centre-right Catalan nationalist coalition CiU in the 1970s, Jordi Pujol. The officers searched for documentation related to Pujol’s eldest son, Jordi Pujol Ferrusola, who is currently indicted for alleged fiscal fraud and money laundering and at the centre of most of the ongoing judicial investigations involving the family. 15 other addresses were also searched this morning by Spanish police, including Jordi Pujol Jr’s office and other residences and companies related to Pujol’s eldest son’s businesses in Barcelona and Madrid. The operation is run by the Spanish 'Audiencia Nacional', which is a court investigating and ruling on organised crime, terrorism and international fiscal offences. Earlier this year, former Catalan President and founder of the centre-right Catalan nationalist coalition CiU in the 1970s Jordi Pujol, his wife Marta Ferrusola, and most of their 7 children testified before the Barcelona-based judge investigating the case.

Cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ and radical left CUP, the two main forces supporting Catalonia’s independence in the Parliament, handed over an agreed declaration which establishes “the start of the process to create the independent Catalan State in the form of a Republic”. The document states that “the process of democratic disconnection won’t be subject to Spanish institutions’ decisions, particularly those from the Spanish Constitutional Court, which is regarded as discredited and without competences”. In fact, the declaration urges the new government to “obey exclusively those mandates produced” by the Parliament. The document considers it appropriate to start within a maximum of 30 days the processing of the laws for the constituent process, social security and the creation of a Catalan public tax office. The proposal will have to be voted on in an extraordinary plenary session to be held before the new president is instated.

Catalonia constituted today the first Parliament with a pro-independence majority amongst its members. Number two of cross-party list 'Junts Pel Sí' ('Together for Yes'), Carme Forcadell has been elected the 8th President of the Parliament (since the chamber was restored after Franco's dictatorship), and is the second woman to hold the charge, after her predecessor Núria de Gispert. "This 11th term of office, is the last from the autonomic period" stated Forcadell during her taking office speech and emphasised that the chamber will turn from a "regional limited Parliament" into a "national and sovereign" one. Forcadell, former president of Catalan National Assembly (ANC), the grass-roots association responsible for the massive rallies on Catalonia's National Day in 2012, 2013 and 2014, obtained 77 votes from 'Junts Pel Sí', radical left pro-independence CUP and half of the members of alternative left coalition 'Catalunya Sí que es Pot'. 57 MPs voted blank and there was 1 invalid ballot.

The Catalans rode the brute strength of their Uruguayan striker to another come-from-behind victory in La Liga, this time by a score of 3–1 at Camp Nou. Eibar opened the scoring in the 10th minute on Sunday, when Borja González struck home a long rebound following a diving stop by Barça goalkeeper Claudio Bravo. The Uruguayan first drew Barça even at 1–1 on the stroke of 22 minutes when he headed home a beautiful one-touch volley from Sandro Ramírez. Three minutes after the break Suárez put Barça into the lead with his second goal. Suárez's sealed his hat-trick, his second since debuting for Barça exactly one-year ago to the day, and the win, in the 84th minute. The victory was Barça’s third straight across all competitions, following last week’s win over Rayo and Tuesday’s Champions League triumph at Bate Borisov, and allows them to keep pace at the top of the La Liga table.