belgium

Catalan president presents electoral list in Belgium and urges Spain and the EU to respect results on December 21

Spanish Finance ministry requires the Court of Auditors prosecutor to summon MEPs and Catalan mayors who took part

For the magistrate, “there’s no reason to doubt that they will fully collaborate” with the country’s justice

Meritxell Serret, Toni Comín, and Clara Ponsatí spoke at a protest in Brussels to decry the imprisonment of other Catalan pro-independence leaders

“Our thoughts are with our colleagues,” said Puigdemont on Twitter

Deputy PM Jan Jambon says the Spanish government has gone “too far” after putting 8 ministers in jail and ordering the arrest of Puigdemont

The deposed president has said he will turn himself in to “true justice” but “not to that of Spain”

Brussels reiterates “full respect for constitution” but other European leaders speak out and condemn dismissed Catalan ministers’ imprisonment 

Catalan president denies being in Brussels to apply for asylum, but “to act with freedom and without threats”

Theo Francken questions that the Catalan president “would get a fair trial” in Spain

The Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia (DIPLOCAT) and the ‘Institut de Ciénces Politiques Louvain-Europe’ (ISPOLE), organised this Tuesday an event entitled “Catalonia: A New State in Europe?” at the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL) located about 50 kilometres east of Brussels. The conference included the presence of Amadeu Altafaj, Representative of the Catalan Government to the EU, Michel Liégeois, President of ISPOLE and Michael Keating, Professor of Political Science at the University of Aberdeen and Director of the ESRC Centre on Constitutional Change, amongst other experts. However, all the attention turned to the public when a supposed student claimed to represent Spaniards and Catalans which were absent and questioned the objectivity of the event. Later on, Laura Martínez Bocos admitted to speaking on behalf of the Spanish Embassy in Belgium, where she holds the rank of Counsellor.

The 60^th edition of the 'Girona, Temps de Flors' flower festival kicked off on Saturday and will run until the 17^th of May. For the event, around 1,000 students, volunteers, designers and florists have come together, working on 164 flower installations, distributed over 134 spaces all around the city. The festival is expected to attract more than 200,000 visitors, providing the city with a true international dimension. Two official itineraries have been set up, allowing tourists to walk around discovering many of Girona's magical corners. According to event organisers, the top 10 sites not to be missed are: the Funeral Chapel of Sant Nicolau, the Basilica of Sant Feliu, Jurats Square, the Arab Baths, the Girona's iconic Cathedral, the Church of Sant Lluc, the building of Sarraïnes, Rabbin House Lleó Avinay, Els Alemanys Gardens and the Church of Sant Martí. This year, the Festival's budget amounted to €400,000.

Cava is a Catalan sparkling wine produced using the ‘Méthode Champenoise’. According to statistics from the Cava Regulatory Board, some 242.29 million bottles of Cava were sold in 2014, which represents a 0.38% increase on 2013 figures. Sales on the domestic market increased for the first time after two years of decline, reaching 87.58 million bottles, a 7.54% increase over 2013, with 6.14 million more bottles sold. Sales in bars and restaurants are one of the main reasons for the domestic increase since these grew by 9.3% over 2013. These results compensated for the drop in 2014 sales to the EU market, which accounted for 111.62 million bottles, 5.3% less than in 2013 and a decline in absolute terms of 6.22 million bottles. This was mainly due to a contraction in demand from the German market.

A strategic gas pipeline is to be built through the Catalan Pyrenees, linking the Iberian Peninsula with France and Central Europe. The Midcat project aims to reduce Europe's dependency on Russian gas by 40%, diversifying the sources of supply. The pipeline should be operational by 2020, announced on Thursday the Spanish Minister for Industry, José Manuel Soria. The day before, French President, François Hollande, Spanish PM, Mariano Rajoy, Portuguese PM, Pedro Passos Coelho, and European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, re-launched the project's construction. Midcat started to be planned in 2007 but it was halted for several years, mainly due to a lack of interest from French companies and institutions, which were not guaranteeing to build their part. Now, the crisis with Russia has reignited the urge to find alternative gas suppliers for Central Europe.

Thomas Vermaelen is officially a Barça player after signing a five year deal at the Club on Sunday morning. Vermaelen was accompanied at the signing by the Catalan club President Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sporting Vice-Oresident Jordi Mestre. The Belgian defender passed his medical on Saturday and was presented on the Camp Nou pitch on Sunday  morning, with a press conference. Speaking at his presentation, Vermaelen explained: "I feel ready to play here - I think I can offer a lot to this club". "It's up to me to show what I can do here", he added. The cost of the deal with Arsenal is €10 million, with a further €5 million in performance bonuses and €3.8 million if the team win the Champions League. The Belgian defender’s buyout clause is set at €80 million.