catalan way

They will be accompanied by governing cross-party pro-independence ‘Junts Pel Sí’, the radical left-wing party ‘CUP’ and the ministers at the Government building in Barcelona

The PNR is to become a “forum for debate” since it represents the broad spectrum of pro-referendum supporters

Daniel Kahl, a German Barça fan, was not allowed to enter the stadium at the Copa del Rey final for carrying the ‘Estelada’

The spokesperson for the Spanish government responds to Puigdemont’s request for clarification on “what kind of force” the state “plans to use against the referendum”

The first digital platform to distribute European cinema and television series in Catalan was launched on Friday in Barcelona

A possible supplier for the referendum says it is "nonsense" to prosecute the Government for trying to buy ballot boxes

Catalan Minister Josep Rull calls for "excellent rail infrastructure" to boost the productivity of the Mediterranean ports

Catalonia’s Government has written a letter to the Commission to inform them about Spain's refusal to negotiate a vote on independence

The Spanish MEP Esteban González Pons asked the Estonian government to stand firm against Catalan independence

The Human Rights Institute of Andorra (IHDA) and the Catalan rights association ‘Drets’, have filed a joint complaint before the courts in Andorra against four Spanish police officers who were part of the alleged smear campaign of the Spanish Ministry of Interior against Catalan officials, the so-called “Operation Catalonia”. The highly ranked police officers shall be investigated for crimes such as threatening, coercion and extortion of citizens of Andorra with the objective of “obtaining information” on “supposedly existing bank accounts” of Catalan pro-independence politicians in order “to destroy their public image”. Representatives of the private accusation explained to the press on Tuesday that the alleged pressures of the Spanish National Police forces on citizens of another country violate international treaties, and represent a “state crime”. The complaint has already been accepted by the Instruction Court (Batllia) number 2 of Andorra.

The Catalan Minister for Foreign Affairs, Institutional Relations and Transparency, Raül Romeva, has defended on Monday that “everything is impossible until it happens” and that “when it happens, it is irreversible”. At the opening of the conference, ‘Sovereignty and self-determination in times of Brexit’, organized by the Catalan Public Diplomacy Council (DIPLOCAT) and the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, the Minister of Foreign Affairs noted the “capacity for adaptation” shown by the European Union “throughout history” in order to respond to “the will of the citizens”. Romeva insisted that the birth of “new and smaller” States like a possible independent Catalonia or Scotland should not “frighten anyone”, but rather should be seen as an “opportunity”.

More than 36% of the students who register in a university master in Catalonia are graduates from a foreign university, according to the Secretary's Office of Universities and Research most recent data corresponding to the course 2015-2016. Almost four out of 10 students registered in the Catalan university system for postgraduate studies have studied in an international university system. The Secretary of Universities and Research, Arcadi Navarro, said this shows “the good quality of Catalan universities”, which achieve notable positions in international rankings among the best European and international universities. He also noted an annual rise in these registrations, which means that every year more foreign graduates choose Catalonia for continuing their university training.

Catalan Government Spokeswoman, Neus Munté, complained about the Spanish Government's “gross ignorance” of the reality of the situation in Catalonia and considered its “lack of responses” to be the reason why Catalans are calling for a referendum on independence. “We are here as a result of the Spanish Government’s lack of responses and its lack of a project for Catalonia,” said Munté, lamenting Spain’s repeated refusal to negotiate on a referendum. The Catalan Government spokeswoman also emphasized the need to "set the date and the question of the referendum". She made these statements on Monday, after attending the cross-party meeting to assess Spain’s refusal to negotiate a referendum with Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont.

The Catalan Government will guard geographer and journalist Gonzalo de Reparaz Rodríguez-Báez’ legacy, which was seized in 1939 and has been stored at the Spanish Civil War Archives since then. The Catalan Minister for Territory and Sustainability, Josep Rull, thanked Reparaz’s family for trusting the Catalan Government and praised their years of “judicial struggle” to recover the documents, and therefore part of its family’s history. Rull emphasized Reparaz’s contribution “to explaining the Catalan cause to Europe” and his “commitment to freedom and democracy”. Reparaz established himself in Barcelona in 1921 and came into contact with many representatives of Catalonia’s political and cultural life.

The two main Spanish parties are frontally opposed to the celebration of an independence referendum in Catalonia and their leaders will fight together against the Catalan government plans’ to hold one. In a phone conversation on Monday, the Spanish President and leader of the People’s Party (PP), Mariano Rajoy, and the re-elected leader of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), Pedro Sánchez, discussed their united front against a self-determination vote in Catalonia. “The PSOE will defend the legality and the Constitution,” confirmed the Spanish Vice President, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, in a press conference in Madrid, where she briefed journalists about the two leaders’ conversation. According to her, the Socialists are “against the illegal referendum being planned by the Catalan Government” and will block “any attempt” to “violate” the Spanish Constitution. Sáenz de Santamaría also insisted that a self-determination referendum is “unnegotiable” but again urged the Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, to present his plans in the Spanish Congress.