Politics

The European body expressed its concerns regarding the use of Catalan and the Spanish State’s other “regional languages” in the administration of justice and in the health service. The Council of Europe called on the Spanish State to “modify the legal frame” and “guarantee that an appropriate proportion of the administration of justice’s workers” has a “practical knowledge” of the Catalan language. The European body, composed by 47 European countries, approved this Thursday “six recommendations” to solve “some important problems” and make sure that the Spanish State respects the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.This is the fourth report of this kind, after similar ones were written in 2005, 2008 and 2012. It states that the situation “has improved considerably” in the last four years, especially due to the Autonomous Communities’ efforts.

New Catalan President Carles Puigdemont called for “permanent dialogue”between the different parliamentary groups in the chamber, besides the agreement between pro-independence forces cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’and radical left CUP. During the first plenary session of the new Government, Puigdemont committed himself to putting Catalonia “on the verge of”independence within 18 months and doing it “with all the guarantees and without false moves”. The new Catalan President outlined two main objectives to be reached during this term of office. One is to maintain the services for all citizens in order to fight the consequences of the economic crisis and the other is to respond to the democratic mandate expressed in the 27-S Catalan Elections, which he defined as “clear and undeniable”. Puigdemont also explained the different departments of the new government, which he described as “renewed, reorganised and modern”.

Catalan Minister for Foreign Affairs Raül Romeva assured that he is “not worried at all” about the legality of this new Ministry. Thus the cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ top member responded to the Spanish government’s claim that the new department may violate some of the Spanish government’s functions. Foreign affairs “is a competence which is attributed to Catalonia and recognised in the Catalan Statute of Autonomy” assured Romeva and emphasised that the actions to be launched “are the same” as those carried out by the Catalan Foreign Affairs Secretary, Roger Albinyana. Romeva called for “finding synergies with other European actors” rather than “having embassies everywhere”, which he described as a 19th century policy. Romeva also forecast that former Catalan President Artur Mas will have an “important” role in the international agenda.

One day after the new Catalan executive was constituted, the Spanish government has announced that the State Attorney will analyse the competences of the new Catalan Ministry for Foreign Affairs, as it may violate some of the Spanish government’s functions. “We will not allow any action which could be contrary to the Constitution or to the laws, whatever it may be” warned current Spanish Government Vice President Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría. This warning comes after the Spanish Government confirmed that a report will be written analysing the taking office ceremony of new Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, during which Puigdemont didn’t mention Spain’s King nor the Spanish Constitution.

The European Commission’s President, Jean-Claude Juncker, urged Spain to form a “stable government” and do it “as quick as possible, as it belongs to the Eurozone”. Juncker refused to “give an opinion on the movements in some regions and provinces”, referring to Catalonia’s push for independence, but called for “Spain to rise to” the circumstances. In a similar vein, the Euro Parliament’s President, Martin Schulz, assured that the Catalan case would have to be “dealt with within the framework of the Constitution”. The Vice President of Flemish Nationalist party N-VA, Sander Loones, commented that the EC “missed a great opportunity” by not taking up a role as mediator and noted that “saying that it is a Spanish issue only is a way of making sure that nothing will move”.

The members of the new Catalan executive took office this Thursday, more than three months after the 27th of September Catalan Elections resulted in the victory of pro-independence forces. Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, called them to be “aware” of the citizens’ assignment “without renouncing anything”. ERC’s leader Oriol Junqueras has been designed to assume the Vice presidency and led the Department of Economy and Tax Office, one of the key areas of the new executive. Another novelty is the creation of the department for Foreign Affairs, which will be led by former MEP and ‘Junts Pel Sí’s top member, Raül Romeva.

Current Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy insisted that the Spanish Government’s legal services will “write a report” to evaluate the procedure used in new Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont’s, take office. During the ceremony, Puigdemont didn’t mention Spain’s King nor the Spanish Constitution. “According to this report we will make the appropriate decisions, following the current legislation and the general interests of all the Spanish citizens” he warned. Despite petitions from he other groups in Spanish Parliament, Rajoy admitted that “so far” he “doesn’t intend” to meet with Puigdemont. 

Carles Puigdemont took office this Tuesday and became Catalan President number 130. “We will respond to the people’s hopes” stated Puigdemont during his speech and added that it is “not possible to guarantee” a better life for all citizens “with the skills we currently have, with the skills we have been left”. The Parliament’s President, Carme Forcadell, representatives from all the groups in the Catalan chamber and personalities from civil society attended the ceremony. Current Spanish Minister for Home Affairs, Jorge Fernández Díaz, and the Spanish Government’s Delegate in Catalonia, María de los Llanos de Luna, were the only representatives from the Spanish government to attend the event.  

Philip VI refused Parliament President Carme Forcadell’s request for an audience to communicate to him the investiture of the new Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont. The Royal Household asked Forcadell to do so in writing and thus broke with the tradition according to which the presidents of the Catalan, Basque and Galician Parliaments travel to Madrid to communicate to the monarch the decision of their respective chambers. Philip VI’s secretary asked for the investiture to be communicated “complying with the procedures established by the Spanish Constitution and the Catalan Statute of Autonomy”.  

Carles Puigdemont was invested as Catalan President number 130 with the absolute majority of the Catalan Parliament. A last-minute agreement between pro-independence forces cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ and radical left CUP allowed the new government to start working and finally unblock the deadlock over the investiture. Mas decided to step aside and named president of the Association of Municipalities for Independence and mayor of Girona, a city 100 km north of Barcelona, Carles Puigdemont as his successor. A member of former governing party liberal Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya, Puigdemont ran for cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ in Girona and has repeatedly expressed his commitment to Catalonia’s pro-independence roadmap. 

Association of Municipalities for Independence (AMI) president and mayor of Girona city Carles Puigdemont has been instated as Catalan President number 130 by an absolute majority of the Parliament. Puigdemont, a member of cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ proposed by current Catalan President Artur Mas, obtained 70 votes in favour, 63 against and 2 abstentions. The investiture debate took place this Sunday after a last-minute agreement between pro-independence forces ‘Junts Pel Sí’ and CUP and just before all the legal deadlines were due to expire and new elections would have had to been called in Catalonia.

The Spokesperson Bureau has convened this Sunday and the investiture debate to elect a new President has been scheduled straight away, just before all the legal deadlines are due to expire and new elections would have had to been called in Catalonia. According to the pro-independence forces’ last-minute agreement, Artur Mas’ candidate, Carles Puigdemont, will get the support of 68 MPs from the 135 in the Parliament, so that he can be instated in the first round. Puigdemont’s investiture would allow the government to start working on the roadmap towards independence.

Just when calling for new elections seemed to be unavoidable, cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ and radical left CUP have finally reached an agreement to resolve the presidency of the new Catalan government and launch the independence roadmap. Current Catalan President and ‘Junts Pel Sí’s number four, Artur Mas has decided to step aside and president of the Association of Municipalities for Independence (AMI) and mayor of Girona city, Carles Pugidemont, has been appointed as the candidate of consensus. In exchange, some of CUP’s MPs will resign in order to guarantee the stability of the new government. The investiture debate will take place on Sunday and a new President would have to be elected before midnight.

Left wing ERC leader and ‘Junts Pel Sí’ number five, Oriol Junqueras, considers it “irresponsible” to talk about elections and urged current governing party liberal CDC and radical left CUP “to be loyal to the country” and “try to find an agreement”. Junqueras noted the “sacrifices” that ERC has made in order to reach the present situation and urged the other pro-independence forces to “use up all the deadlines” as agreement “is still possible”. “Very complicated negotiations have been solved in a few days, even in a few minutes” he stated. According to ERC’s leader, an agreement is better than “a scenario full of uncertainties” which would be elections in March. 

Current Catalan President Artur Mas admitted to being ready to call for elections, but won’t do so until the 11^th of January, when the legal deadline expires. However, Mas insisted that cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ “can’t make any other offer” to radical left CUP since “the presidency of the Catalan Government is not a fish auction”. “Junts Pel Sí has moved on everything which mattered. CUP hasn’t moved on the only thing that wasn’t important: the ‘who’” he stated. “Our mistake was to trust in CUP’s sense of state” he assured and added that CUP “didn’t understand that to turn Catalonia into an independent state it is necessary to add and not to subtract, voting rather than vetoing”. According to Mas, accepting the conditions of those who “put the vetoes and the crosses” would be “the end of the pro-independence process.”