Catalan-Spanish summit: what to expect

Opposition skeptical as governments are set to meet on Wednesday after 7-year break

Catalan foreign minister Ernest Maragall and Spain's minister of territorial policy Meritxell Batet (by ACN)
Catalan foreign minister Ernest Maragall and Spain's minister of territorial policy Meritxell Batet (by ACN) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

July 31, 2018 01:41 PM

Governments in Catalonia and Spain will meet on Wednesday as part of the bilateral commission. With such a meeting taking place for the first time in seven years—and most notably, with the two executives engaging in dialogue after months of political turmoil over the independence bid—the stakes are remarkably high.

The meeting will take place at the Catalan government headquarters in Barcelona. The Catalan delegation will be led by Ernest Maragall, the foreign minister, and will also include vice president Pere Aragonès and government spokesperson Elsa Artadi. On the Spanish side, the highest-ranking official to take part in the meeting is Meritxell Batet, minister of territorial policy. Spanish state secretaries for infrastructures and finances will also join the meeting.