MP Bernat Solé appointed new foreign minister
Predecessor Bosch stepped down over handling of sexual misconduct allegations against chief of staff
foreign affairs ministry
High court rejects closing Catalan foreign offices after Spanish challenge
Precautionary decision comes weeks after Spain was found to be spying on delegations abroad
Heads of new government offices in Portugal, Central Europe and Baltics appointed
Executive to launch new delegations in summer, as part of recovering network that Spanish government shut down with direct rule
Court of Auditors to investigate Catalan diplomatic activity after ‘signs of irregularities’
Prosecutors looked into use of public funds to promote independence bid abroad from 2011 to 2017
Suspending the Catalan Ministry for Foreign Affairs is "counterproductive", say foreign MEPs
The suspension of the Catalan Ministry for Foreign Affairs is “going to work against the aim of the Madrid government” and boost independence support, according to some foreign MEPs that have been following the political process in Catalonia. “It was just a kind of name change, not a legal change, but it has big emotional meaning for both sides”, said former Foreign Affairs Minister of Lithuania and now MEP Algirdas Saudargas. The President of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and also MEP Ian Hudghton said Scots are “fortunate” not to have “been treated in the way that Madrid seeks to treat Catalonia”. Flemish MEP Mark Demesmaeker argued that there is a “big contrast” between Spain and Belgium, while the Swedish Green MEP Bodil Valero defined as “very strange” the decision by the Spanish Constitutional Court to suspend the Catalan ministry.
New Catalan Government set to work
The members of the new Catalan executive took office this Thursday, more than three months after the 27th of September Catalan Elections resulted in the victory of pro-independence forces. Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, called them to be “aware” of the citizens’ assignment “without renouncing anything”. ERC’s leader Oriol Junqueras has been designed to assume the Vice presidency and led the Department of Economy and Tax Office, one of the key areas of the new executive. Another novelty is the creation of the department for Foreign Affairs, which will be led by former MEP and ‘Junts Pel Sí’s top member, Raül Romeva.