Venice Commission demands referendum to be “in agreement with the Spanish authorities”

Barcelona.- An independence referendum in Catalonia should be carried out "in agreement with the Spanish authorities", according to the Venice Commission. The president of this international body, Gianni Buquicchio, confirmed in a letter to the Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, that he read with "great interest" the resolution adopted by the Catalan Parliament seeking a role of the Venice Commission in the organization of the referendum. "I can only welcome the interest shown by the Catalan Parliament in the Code of Good Practice on Referendums of our Commission", said Buquicchio. "I have taken note of the intention to cooperate with the Venice Commission on the modalities of an agreed referendum", he added, warning, however, that this could only happen if the Spanish government is also on board.

"You are, no doubt, aware that not only the referendum as such, but also the cooperation with our Commission, will have to be carried out in agreement with the Spanish authorities", Buquicchio insisted to Puigdemont. The Venice Commission, he said, is "the European Commission for Democracy through Law" and has "consistently emphasised the need for any referendum to be carried out in full compliance with the Constitution and the applicable legislation".