Spain to take the Catalan Ministry for Foreign Affairs before the court

Barcelona (CNA).- The competences of the new Catalan Ministry for Foreign Affairs will be taken before the Spanish Constitutional Court (TC) as they may violate some of the Spanish executive’s competences. The commission to study the constitutive process of a potential Catalan Republic, which was approved on Thursday during the new government’s first plenary session, will also be appealed. The Catalan Government’s spokeswoman, Neus Munté, has insisted on the “absolute constitutionality” of the new ministry and assured that the Government is “doing everything within the law”. On the other hand, Spain’s executive will not impugn new Catalan President Carles Puigdemont’s taking office, during which Puigdemont didn’t mention Spain’s King nor the Spanish Constitution. 

 

“Undoubtedly, this government must have the necessary agility and caution to avoid that certain things which wanted to be done in a certain way wouldn’t finally by achieved through another” stated acting Spanish Government’s vice president, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría. According to her, the reports ordered to the State Attorney have concluded that the competences of the new Catalan Ministry for Foreign Affairs, led by former MEP Raül Romeva, develop the Law of Foreign Action of the Catalan Government, which was appealed before the TC as well. Although the Court lift the automatic suspension of the law, “there is no firm sentence yet”. This is what motivated the Spain’s executive appeal, explained Sáenz de Santamaría.

Regarding the appeal against the commission to study the constitutive process of a potential Catalan Republic, Sáenz de Santamaría noted that the Catalan Government’s first aim was to make it “a legislative” commission but they decided to turn it into a “commission of study” at the sight of its possible unconstitutionality, she expressed.

Finally, the State Attorney’s report concluded that despite President Puigdemont didn’t mention the Spanish Constitution during his taking office ceremony, he did so when he took office as MP.

Catalan Government defends the constitutionality of the new Ministry

The Catalan Government’s Spokeswoman, Neus Munté insisted on the constitutionality of the Catalan Ministry for Foreign Affairs and assured that the members of the executive are all “very calm”. “There is no space to talk about a contempt because we are convinced that we are doing everything within the law” she stated at a press conference soon after Sáenz de Santamaría announcement. Munté emphasised that the Catalan Government’s Foreign Action was so far launched by the Catalan Secretariat for Foreign Affairs, led by Roger Albinyana, and that the new ministry is based on this previous experience. “The competences will continue to be normally exercised”. “We are doing things right and within the legality”

Munté lamented once again Spain’s will to use the court to mediate in political conflicts. “The government in Catalonia is for dialogue and has an open hand” whereas in Madrid “we have a current Spanish government which hasn’t moved, repeatedly responding with threats, appeals and suspensions to the political proposals made from Catalonia”, she stated. Munté noted that the government will applaud “any future action which would be diametrically opposed” to this disposition.

“Nobody will be able to stop Catalonia’s international projection”

Pro-independence cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’, the governing party in Catalonia, also criticised the Spanish government’s attitude. “This government couldn’t finish in a more decadent way” stated President of ‘Junts Pel Sí’s parliamentary group, Jordi Turull and assured that they will “hurry up” regarding both, Catalonia’s international projection and the commission to study the constitutive process’ functioning. According to Turull, it is “anti-democratic” to attack the Parliament, as “if there is a place where everything can be discussed, it is the Parliament”.

“Nobody will be able to stop Catalonia’s international projection, as its world is the world” he emphasised and assured that while Spain “moves towards the 18^th century” Catalonia is “on the second half of the 21^st century”. According to Turull, the current governing party in the Spanish Government, the People’s Party, desn’t want Catalonia’s economy to be internationalised nor the pro-independence process to be explained.