Spain cools on referendum as Catalan government divided ahead of talks

After years of political animosity between Catalan and Spanish governments, the agreement to resume bilateral talks next September to address the independence conflict was hailed as a paradigm shift in the ongoing territorial dispute.

But with Spanish officials cooling on the prospect of an agreed referendum, and some pro-independence parties seeing no point in sitting at the negotiating table, it remains uncertain how long the talks will last and, most importantly, whether they will be able to produce any substantial outcomes.

In a radio interview on Wednesday, the delegate of the Spanish government in Catalonia, Teresa Cunillera, stuck to the long-held stance on Catalonia’s independence aspirations, which Madrid sees as unconstitutional. "Within the law, everything. Outside of it, nothing," she said.