Spanish president to speak in Congress on Catalonia

The Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, will appear in Congress to express his stance on Catalonia.

This, after a proposal from pro-independence parties requesting such an appearance was approved by Spain’s lower chamber party spokespeople.

PDeCAT and Esquerra requested for Sánchez to “provide information regards the initiatives taken by [Spain’s] government towards reaching political solutions that enable a democratic solution to the Catalan society demands.”

There is no set date for the appearance, but it is likely to be in December, by the end of the year.

Pedro Sánchez met the Catalan president, Quim Torra, on July 9, and both governments have engaged in several bilateral meetings since then.

No to referendum

Yet while Torra’s executive urges Madrid to accept an agreed independence referendum for Catalonia, Sánchez has so far flatly rejected the idea.

PDeCAT and Esquerra parties have also demanded the Spanish government to take steps towards the jailed leaders being released – for instance, through the solicitor general and the public prosecutor.

In exchange, they would negotiate the 2019 Spanish budget, which needs the pro-independence forces to be successful. Yet so far Sánchez has denied making any such gesture.