EU repeats call for talks between Catalonia and Spain

While European Parliament stresses need for dialogue, Brussels continues to back executive in Madrid and appeals for respect of the law

The European Commission (EC) has again called on the Spanish and Catalan executives to begin talks on the conflict over Catalonia’s independence. “It’s time to talk,” said the EC’s First Vice-President Frans Timmermans on Wednesday. In a debate on the issue in the European Parliament, Timmermans repeated the backing the EC gave to Spanish President Mariano Rajoy in a statement published on Monday, after Sunday’s images of Spanish police violence against people attempting to vote in the unilateral referendum on independence.

The EC received criticism on Monday for what was seen by some as a failure to condemn the police brutality. Monday’s statement limited the comments on the police aggression to a single line: “Violence can never be an instrument in politics.” On Wednesday, Timmermans called the brutal images “saddening” and insisted that “violence does not solve anything in politics,” but added, “it is of course a duty for any government to uphold the rule of law and this sometimes does require the proportionate use of force.”

• “Violence does not solve anything in politics”

• Frans Timmermans · European Commission first vice-president

Reiterating that the EC considers the Catalan issue to be an internal matter for Spain, Timmermans focused on the need to comply with the law: “Respect for the rule of law is not optional, it is fundamental,” he said. “You can work to change the law, but you cannot ignore the law. It is fundamental that the constitutions of every one of our member states are upheld and respected,” the EC head continued, adding: “The regional government of Catalonia has chosen to ignore the law when organizing the referendum.”

Calls for EU mediation

Earlier in the week, Catalan president Carles Puigdemont led calls for the EU authorities to mediate in the crisis, but so far there has been no official response. What there was on Wednesday was a spirited debate in the European chamber with MEPs from Spain trading accusations over which government is responsible for the Catalan crisis. However, the views of the chamber as a whole were ultimately in line with those expressed by Timmermans, with above all more calls for talks.

Socialist and Democrat leader, Gianni Pittella, urged Rajoy and “the rest of the Spanish authorities” to begin a dialogue, while liberal leader, Guy Verhofstadt, said “Dialogue is a must.” Meanwhile, Greens leader, Ska Keller, said that the European Commission has “an obligation to put itself forward as a mediator” and she called on both the Spanish and Catalan executives to accept mediation in the conflict.

Declaration of independence a “provocation”

Nevertheless, there appeared little appetite in the chamber to explicitly back the actions of the Catalan authorities in their decision to go ahead with the unilateral referendum. The head of the European People’s Party, Bavarian Manfred Weber, along with liberal leader, Flemish Guy Verhofstadt, argued that their own strong sense of regional identity did not justify the breaking up of nation states. “The irresponsible Catalan government is splitting the country,” said Weber, who insisted it was an issue that had to resolved inside Spain. Meanwhile, socialist Pittella also warned that a unilateral declaration of independence would be seen as a “provocation” that could lead to “new disasters”.

Source:catalannews.com