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The Catalan and Valencian governments, together with social and economic representatives, have created a common front to push for the execution of the plan for the Mediterranean Corridor Railway. On Monday, they urged the Spanish Government to change its attitude and undertake pending investments within a “credible timeframe”. In a document presented after the bilateral summit celebrated at Valencia’s Generalitat Palace, the representatives demanded the realisation of the Corridor’s technical configuration and the designation of a Technical Coordinator in order to build a piece of infrastructure that should have a “high capacity” and be “efficient”. The delays in the construction of the infrastructure are affecting private investment: in Catalonia and Valencia pending investments are worth €300 million, according to the Catalan Minister for Planning and Sustainability, Josep Rull.

Catalonia’s Supreme Court said that Altafaj, head of the Catalan Government Delegation in Brussels, cannot use the title of Permanent Representative to the European Union. The judicial decision came after a complaint by the Spanish Government, which considers that such a title can only be used by member state diplomats. “There is nothing against the Catalan Government having a representative to the European Union or my current role”, said Altafaj. The Catalan diplomat in Brussels described the case against his title as “absurd”. “I am representing the Catalan Government to the EU with more determination than ever”, he said.

The former Catalan Minister and Catalan Democratic Party (PDC) spokesman in the Spanish Parliament, Francesc Homs, testified on Monday before the Spanish Supreme Court. The politician is being investigated for co-organising the 9-N symbolic vote on independence in 2014. During his testimony the former Mminister stated that the consultation was “legal” because it “corresponded to the Catalan Parliament mandate”. Moreover, Homs claimed that the main Spanish institutions are not acting with autonomy but are rather “copycatting People’s Party interests”. “The sentence has been already been dictated” and “it is going to be condemnatory and not absolving”, said Homs with regret.

The former Catalan Minister and Catalan Democratic Party (PDC) spokesperson in the Spanish Parliament, Francesc Homs, is testifying this Monday in the Supreme Court for co-organising the 9th of November 2014 informal consultation on independence. The politician arrived at the Court accompanied by former Catalan President, Artur Mas, who, together with other Catalan Ministers, is also facing trial on charges of disobedience and perversion of justice. Homs has been summonsed “for listening to people’s demands and putting out ballot boxes” for the 9-N symbolic vote, the Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, said with regret.

The Spanish Government won’t file a criminal complaint against the Catalan Parliament’s President, Carme Forcadell, at least until Spain’s Constitutional Court decides on her suspension from office. After a reform passed by the People’s Party (PP) in 2015, the Court has the competency to dismiss public representatives and impose fines on them if they disobey a resolution. The Spanish Government filed a complaint against Forcadell over the declaration adopted by the Catalan Parliament last July that introduced a “democratic unilateral mechanism” to split from Spain. The Spanish Deputy Prime Minister, Soraya Sáenz de Santa María, stated this Friday that this is the “main procedure” for now.

CNA interviewed former Catalan President, Artur Mas, on his visit to London last week. Mas, one of the main figures who put Catalonia’s pro-independence roadmap on the political agenda again, insisted on the need to hold a referendum in Catalonia in order to “count whether or not there is a real social majority in favour of independence” and start “creating structures of state”. He also praised “the huge mobilisations” which have taken to the streets of Catalonia for the last five years on the 11^th of September and which have proved “how broad the majority in favour of self-determination is”. “For the first time in decades we’ve had the possibility to explain to the entire world what is really happening in our country” he stated and added that thanks to these powerful demonstrations “the world has seen that Catalonia is determined to go ahead with this process”. 

Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, will call the Spanish Government to hold a binding referendum in Catalonia. He will do so on the 28th of September, coinciding with the vote of confidence to which he will submit in the Parliament. Puigdemont confirmed this this Sunday in a press conference before the international press. He also predicted that there will be constitutive elections in Catalonia within a year’s time, according to the pro-independence roadmap. Puigdemont also commented on Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs’ statement comparing Catalonia’s pro-independence process “defiance” to a terrorist attack. According to the Catalan President, José Manuel García Margalló’s words were not only “inopportune” but “harmful to victims of terrorism”.

All the political parties represented in the Catalan Parliament, except from the Conservative People’s Party (PP), Spanish Unionist ‘Ciutadans’ and radical left pro-independence CUP took part in the flower offering to Rafael Casanova’s statue and recalled the day the city fell to Bourbon troops on the 11^th of September 1714. The Catalan Government led by Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, Catalan Vice President and Catalan Minister for Economy and Tax Office, Oriol Junqueras and Catalan Minister for Foreign Affairs, Raül Romeva, began the tribute and placed flowers at the monument of Casanova. The Parliament’s President, Carme Forcadell and Barcelona’s Mayor, Ada Colau, were next to pay tribute to the Barcelona Chief Councillor, who died defending the city during a 14-month military siege over 300 years ago.

The Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, posthumously handed over the Gold Medal of the Government to pro-independence Muriel Casals, who died on the 14th of February this year. The prize is the highest recognition of those individuals or institutions whose work in the political, social, economic, cultural or scientific field has been outstanding. Casals presided at the head of the civil association promoting Catalan language and culture Òmnium Cultural andwas one of the main figures responsible for the massive pro-independence rallies which have taken to the streets of Barcelona for the past six years. In 2015, she joined pro-independence cross-party list 'Junts Pel Sí' and ran for the 27-S Catalan Elections. “Muriel leaves a space which will be really difficult to fill” stated Puigdemont during the ceremony held this Thursday.

The Catalan Government approved this Tuesday the creation of four new delegations abroad. One of the offices will be located in Copenhagen and is set to cover the Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland. The delegation to Poland will be based in Warsaw and the delegation in Zagreb aims to have influence in the Balkan area and in the near future in Greece, Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania. A fourth delegation is going to be opened in Geneva and focus on Switzerland, a country which has been covered by the delegation to France up to now. Although the Catalan Minister for Foreign Affairs, Raül Romeva, admitted that the pace of enhancing the Catalan delegation network “depends on the budget for 2017” he insisted that this doesn’t mean that “nothing can be done”.

The Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, said in an interview with the CNA that the European Union will have to intervene in the Catalan conflict. “At some point, probably not now, the EU will have to stop looking the other way. It will need to recognise that there is a political problem that requires some decisions to be taken” in Brussels, he stressed. Amid growing political tensions between Catalan and Spanish institutions over independence and threats of suspension or even prosecution against the Catalan Parliament President, Carme Forcadell, Puigdemont warned that political problems require “political solutions”. According to the Catalan President, however, it is now “understandable” for the EU to stay away from the Catalan issue and to describe it as an “internal matter”. “They do not want to create a conflict between member states”, he pointed out, adding that this will change in the future if someone asks Brussels to intervene. “Then the EU will not be able to refrain from” answering, he said.

The Catalan President and radical left CUP held a two-hours long meeting on Friday to rebuild trust after the CUP’s veto to the 2016 budget in June kept their relations frozen. Carles Puigdemont said “more coordination” and a “better exchange of information” between the government and its main ally in the Catalan Parliament is needed in order to move forward in the independence process. “The government needs parliamentary stability to move forward in our disconnection road map”, he said in an exclusive interview with the CNA. The Catalan President, who is facing a confidence vote on the 28th of September, added that Catalonia needs a budget and that it would be “nonsense” to vote ‘yes’ to the confidence ballot and then rebuff the government budget.

Sergi Marcén took office on Thursday with the aim of strengthening bilateral relations between Catalonia and the governments of the United Kingdom and Ireland. After the ‘Brexit’ result, Catalonia wants to improve its support and service to Catalan citizens and companies in the UK and Ireland. The new Head of Delegation held his first meeting with the Minster of Foreign Affairs Raül Romeva in Barcelona to analyse the main priorities of action. Marcén replaces Josep Manuel Suàrez, who retired last spring.

The Catalan President warned Spanish politicians on Thursday that the political deadlock will continue as long as they refuse to engage in constructive talks with Catalonia and consider the possibility of a referendum. “It’s a catch-22”, he said a day after Spanish interim president Mariano Rajoy lost his confidence vote in the Spanish Parliament. Puigdemont stated that 36 out of 47 Catalan MPs, all except those from PP and Ciutadans, voted against Rajoy and will do so again on Friday, when a second ballot is expected. “Anyone aspiring to become Spanish president should recognise the reality in Catalonia”, he said, adding that without a solution in Catalonia there won’t be a stable government in Spain.

The leader of the People’s Party, Mariano Rajoy, lost two confidence votes in the Spanish Parliament this week with 170 votes in favour and 180 against. Spain will therefore continue to have an interim government after eight months of political standstill and amid growing speculation over a possible new election on Christmas Day. “I am not asking you to form a coalition, I am asking you to let me govern”, said Mariano Rajoy to the Socialist leader, Pedro Sánchez during a debate in Madrid. The PSOE, the radical left-wing coalition Unidos Podemos and the Catalan and Basque nationalists voted against the PP government plans, which had the support of liberal Ciutadans (C’s). But despite calls from Podemos´ leader in favour of an alternative left-wing coalition, the PSOE is unlikely to accept, as such a government would need the support of pro-independence parties in Catalonia.