About: Catalonia
Diplomatic tensions flare between Spain and Belgium over Catalan crisis
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel sought to defuse bilateral tensions at an EU summit yesterday (17 October) after Flemish and Spanish authorities traded accusations over Spain's handling of Catalonia's illegal declaration of independence and imprisonment of separatists.
Private sector ‘hasn’t done enough’ to stop extreme parties, says business leader
Businesses in Europe did not stand up to defend the system against the attacks of extreme parties and populist forces, says the president of Spain's Chamber of Commerce, José Luis Bonet.
New controversy hits Spanish PM Sánchez’s bumpy start
Beloved in Brussels, on the ropes in Madrid, the Spanish socialist government faced this week one more scandal after it was reported that star minister and former astronaut Pedro Duque used a legal entity to pay lower his tax bill.
Spain furious over Flemish letter to Catalan separatist
Spain summoned the Belgian ambassador over a letter sent to jailed Catalan separatist Carme Forcadell by the speaker of the regional Flemish parliament questioning democracy in Spain, a diplomatic source said Wednesday (26 September).
Spain’s foreign minister in bid to improve nation’s standing in Catalan conflict
As the first anniversary of the declaration of independence of Catalonia approaches and tensions between Madrid and Barcelona increase, Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister Josep Borrell met with senior European officials in Strasbourg to seek support.
Catalan leader calls on Madrid to agree to independence referendum
Catalan leader Quim Torra relaunched a campaign to split his region from Spain on Tuesday (4 September), calling on the central government in Madrid to agree to a referendum on independence and rebuffing a vote that could only offer greater autonomy.
Tensions rise between Madrid and Catalonia as political year begins
The recent change of government in Spain has helped ease tensions but a lawsuit filed by Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont in Belgium against the Spanish judge overseeing his case risks stoking the fires again.
Spain’s conservatives swing to the right with new leader
Spain's conservatives shifted to the right on Saturday (21 July), electing a traditionalist as leader as they seek to re-establish a clear political identity less than two months after being removed from government.
Germany can extradite Puigdemont to Spain for graft, not rebellion: court
A German court ruled Thursday (12 July) that deposed Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont may be extradited to Spain, but only for alleged corruption and not on the more serious charge of rebellion.
Spain’s new prime minister aims for regular elections in 2020
Spain's new Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who took over earlier this month after his conservative predecessor lost a no-confidence vote, said on Monday (18 June) he plans to stay in office until the regular ballot scheduled for 2020.
Puigdemont steps down, names successor for Catalonia’s presidency
Carles Puigdemont, the former president of Catalonia who organised the illegal independence referendum in October 2017, nominated on Thursday (10 May) a pro-independence politician as his successor at the head of Spain’s rebellious region.
Ex-French PM Manuel Valls: no separatist solution in Catalonia
The former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Thursday (19 April) he believed there would be a political solution to the uncertainty in Spain’s northeastern region of Catalonia, but that the answer did not lie with the separatist campaign...
Stormy protest in Barcelona after Germany arrests Puigdemont
Thousands of Catalan separatists hit the streets of Barcelona on Sunday (25 March), vowing the arrest of former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont in Germany would not stop their push for independence.
Spain’s top court rejects new bid to arrest exiled Catalan ex-president
The Spanish Supreme Court dismissed on Monday (22 January) a request by top Spanish prosecutors to reactivate a European arrest warrant for the ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, who has been in exile since November. EURACTIV'S partner EFE reports.
Pro-independence parties win Catalan elections
Pro-independence parties won an absolute majority of seats during regional elections held in Catalonia on Thursday (21 December), despite the 'unionist' party Ciudadanos coming on top.
Catalan campaigning wraps up ahead of crucial vote
Campaigning drew to a close on Tuesday (19 December) in Catalonia's regional election, a potential turning point in Spain's worst political crisis in decades.
Learning from Catalonia: What criteria for independence bids?
The EU needs to establish a rational basis for determining the legitimacy of independence bids. Secession of regions should be difficult to enact, but not impossible, argue Steven Hill and Andrew Watt.
Sacked Catalan councillor: We want to pursue a negotiated independence
EXCLUSIVE / Antoni Comín is one of the four councillors of the sacked Catalan government that fled to Brussels with Carles Puigdemont following the unilateral declaration of independence on 27 October.
Thousands of Catalans demonstrate in EU quarters
Thousands of Catalans took the streets of Brussels on Thursday to support ousted Carles Puigdemont and to demand the release of the Catalan leaders that remain in prison.
Fact or Fake: Is Madrid staging a ‘coup d’état’ in Catalonia?
As Catalans descend on Brussels for a pro-independence rally on Thursday (7 December), EURACTIV's Frédéric Simon goes over some of the claims made by their exiled leader, Carles Puigdemont.
Court decisions kick off campaign for landmark Catalan elections
Catalan parties will officially start campaigning this midnight to elect a new parliament on 21 December, hours after judges decided to maintain pro-independence members in prison for being involved in violence in the run up to the unilateral declaration of independence of the region.
Over A Coffee with Petras Auštrevičius, Lithuanian MEP
Petras Auštrevičius, Lithuanian Liberal MEP, joins EURACTIV’s Brian Maguire over a coffee.
EU willing to increase resources to counter Russian interference
Following developments in Eastern Europe and Catalonia, EU foreign affairs ministers pledged more resources to fight against foreign interference in Europe, in particular coming from Russian actors.