Should a mediator take part in the Catalan-Spanish government talks?

Talks between Catalonia and Spain fell apart a year ago due to discrepancies on whether a mediator should take part in them.

Both sides agreed on using one at first, but the figure's presence infuriated Spain’s right-wing parties as well as a Socialist faction. This led the Spanish government to make a U-turn, rejecting the use of a mediator and calling a snap election after pro-independence parties decided against supporting the talks in response.

Now, as both cabinets try to rebuild broken ties and resume dialogue, the figure of a mediator could stand in the way once again.

Presidents Quim Torra and Pedro Sánchez met in Barcelona last week to kick off the "bilateral negotiation table" previously agreed upon by the Socialists and pro-independence ERC in exchange for parliamentary support.

Both heads of government agreed that both cabinets would hold their first meeting in February – but disagreed on the need for a mediator.

Torra asked for one, and both mainstream pro-independence parties, Junts per Catalunya and Esquerra, are in favor of its presence.

Yet Sánchez, when asked about the possibility on Thursday, said the talks will be "absolutely transparent, with total clarity," implicitly suggesting there is no need for a neutral and external mediator.

Socialists call for "overcoming past phases"

The Socialist party sided with their leader. "It is important that we are able to overcome past phases," said the party's parliamentary group spokesperson, Adriana Lastra, on Monday to rule out the use of such a figure.

According to her, the "mediators" behind any agreement reached by both executives must be the "47 million Spaniards."

Far-left Unidas Podemos, the other party in the Spanish government, agrees with the Socialists in that there is no need for a mediator.

Its Catalan ally, En Comú Podem, has criticized Torra's party, Junts per Catalunya, for asking for one, describing it as an excuse to "boycott" talks.

Lack of unity in pro-independence camp

Meanwhile, in the pro-independence camp there is no joint stance on how essential the presence of a mediator should be for negotiations with the Spanish government.

Esquerra has been avoiding direct clashes with Spain's legal framework since 2018 and has been a firm defender of dialogue.

Junts per Catalunya, on the other hand, advocates quite a different approach to reach independence by prioritizing civil disobedience and is skeptical of concrete outcomes resulting from a negotiation with Madrid.

Senior Esquerra official and Catalan parliament speaker Roger Torrent said on Monday that a rapporteur should not be a "sine qua non" condition for the talks – something already criticized by Junts per Catalunya's Elsa Artadi.

Who will participate in talks

Both Quim Torra and Pedro Sánchez confirmed that they would take part in at least the first summit between cabinets.

Esquerra said that their most senior Catalan government member, Vice President Pere Aragonès, should also sit at the table.

And the Socialists' coalition government partner in Spain, Unidas Podemos, has also confirmed that their leader, Pablo Iglesias, Spain's vice president, will also partake in these meetings.

The other participants remain unknown.