Spanish PM Rajoy in Brussels: Catalans and Spaniards "share the same blood"

Brussels (ACN).- Spain's Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, stated in Brussels that "Spain is the oldest nation in Europe" and that "the Catalan people and the rest of Spaniards have mixed themselves and share the same blood and all sorts of relations". He sent this message on Thursday when he was asked whether he will participate in the Spanish Parliament's debate on transferring referendum powers to the Catalan Government using Article 150.2 of the Constitution. The debate is scheduled for the 8^th of April following a formal petition of the Catalan Parliament which was approved with 87 "yes" votes, 43 negative ballots and 3 abstentions. Rajoy refused to disclose whether he will participate in the debate or not. However, he insisted that the People's Party – which runs the Spanish Government and holds an absolute majority in the Parliament – will defend "common sense". "It is not important who will talk", "but the message and our stance is very clear: [Catalonia's self-determination] aims to deny all Spaniards such a fundamental right as deciding how they want their country to be like", he said.

"We can be proud of the last 50 years", stated Rajoy. "Spain is a country that, in the last 50 years, is among the planet's 5 countries that have the most increased income per capita", he added. "Spain is the oldest nation in Europe, we have done many things together along our history, even though some of them maybe were not good", carried on Rajoy."The Catalan people and the rest of Spaniards have mixed themselves and share the same blood and all sorts of relations", he said.  "Therefore we believe we have a future in a world that shares greater integration and union", highlighted the Spanish PM.

Rajoy insisted that his party will defend the position that Catalonia cannot decide on its own about its future. According to him, this decision can only be taken by the Spanish people as a whole. However, Rajoy has not proposed to hold a referendum in the whole of Spain. He simply closes the door on allowing Catalan citizens to vote on this issue, whether through a non-binding consultation vote in Catalonia or through a referendum in Catalonia or in the whole of Spain. According to him, "common sense" prevents the authorisation of such a vote, and this is the position the People's Party will defend at the Spanish Parliament on the 8^th of April.

The PP will oppose the transfer of referendum powers to the Catalan Government, despite the fact that the Constitution allows for such a transfer in Article 150.2. Rajoy hopes that other parties, particularly the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), will also answer that "it is the Spanish people as a whole who decide on what is Spain, as the Constitution states". "The decisions that affect Spain as a whole, such as those affecting France, Italy or Germany as a whole, are being taken by all the citizens as a whole", he insisted.

At this point, he pictured a scenario of total international isolation for an independent Catalonia, both on the political and economic levels. "It is what common sense says: I cannot tell anyone I do not want this person to be in the EU, to lose the Euro, to be out of all international treaties; I think it's nonsense", he concluded.

Finally, he did not disclose the PP's main candidate for the next European elections, which are scheduled for the 25^th of May, in some 7 weeks. Rumours indicate it could be the Spanish Agriculture Minister, Miguel Arias Cañete, but nothing is confirmed. The other parties in Spain have all chosen their candidates weeks ago. "The candidate will be approved by our party's electoral committee and it will be done soon", answered Rajoy. In addition, he said that he "is not involved in this issue".