Juncker says EU Commission would ‘respect’ a 'Yes' vote in Catalonia

The president of the European Commission (EC), Jean-Claude Juncker, said on Thursday that Brussels would "respect" a 'Yes' result in a Catalan independence referendum. During an interview with YouTubers, Juncker was asked whether the EC would recognize the outcome of the October 1 referendum.

"The Commission does not involve itself in internal domestic debates; these are acceptable democratic debates, of course," he said. While stressing that the EC respects "the Spanish Constitutional Court and the decisions of the Spanish parliament,” Juncker added that his institution would recognize a winning 'Yes' vote.

"If there were to be a 'Yes' vote in favor of Catalan independence, we would respect that opinion," he said, in an unprecedented statement. However, Juncker added that an independent Catalonia would be left outside the EU. "Catalonia won't be able to become an EU member state on the day after such a vote; it would have to follow the same accession procedures as those member states that joined in 2004," he said.